Patching the Scars the Lie on your Heart
by moonwatcher13
Summary: "To Trust is to Die" That was Neo's only rule. A harsh lesson, taught to her by life from the moment of her birth, with each day reminding her why those words were absolute. But for every rule, there is always an exception. And in her case, there were two. Contract Killer AU (Blaked Alaska ot3)
1. Coolers, Contracts and Crying in Bed

_Hello, just a few quick things. First off, yes this is a RWBY College AU. The town is still Vale, and Beacon is now the major public college._

 _Brief note of all the character's ages. Yang, Blake and Weiss are all 21, and juniors at Beacon. Ruby is 19, and a freshman. Neo is 20, and would be the same year as Ruby if she went to school. But currently, she doesn't._

 _Last, yes sexual things could happen in this fic. Level of detail is going to depend on necessity, if any description is given at all. All acts WILL BE CONSENSUAL. The rating is mostly for violence and brutality, which will be explored more in later chapters. Necessary trigger warnings about torture, ect. will be provided as necessary, if necessary._

* * *

Neo, known as Neopolitan by some and psychopathic-ice-cream-haired-girl by others, stumbled into her apartment, quietly dropping her keys into the designated bowl by the door. The apartment was illuminated by the moon, basking the furniture in a soft, heavenly glow. The moon was almost full, and Neo could find her way around the apartment without turning on any lights. Walking around the new black couch, she approached the kitchen table and its leather seating, her legs crying out for some rest. She briefly checked her clothing to make sure it had no dirt or stains on it. Finding nothing she collapsed onto one of the seats, her head dropping onto the solid oak with a barely audible *thud.*. She let the bag in her other hand drop to the floor, its contents rattling and sloshing around in the half melted ice she had bought from the convenience store. Despite how late it was, she couldn't give into the urge to fall asleep. She knew that if she did, she wouldn't wake up till after noon and would miss out on half of the bounty. The client wanted proof delivered by dawn today, or she would only pay up half. And as badly as she needed sleep, she needed the extra cash more.

Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she also needed to eat if she wanted a half-decent chance at staying awake. Forcing herself to get up, she stumbled to the fridge and yanked it open. The fridge was filled to the brim as always, with the shelves organized and tidy, everything having its designated place. In its familiar location, second shelf from the bottom, right side, was a large container marked "Neo: Microwave high, 5 min Eat this when you get home, ALL OF IT. Yang: touch this and die. –Blake." Neo grabbed the container and shoved it into the microwave, following Blake's instructions, not even bothering to see what food she had been left. As the microwave droned on, she felt her thoughts wander as her body fought to stay awake.

Neo tried to remember the last time she had any food besides water and coffee. _Well I woke up Monday around noon, and had that Chinese buffet Tuesday night. And today is currently Friday, or Saturday technically so Tuesday night I guess._ Which meant she had been awake for close to 100 hours, only getting a total of probably 10 hours of sleep thanks to naps during taxi rides around the city. Thank god this target moved around, the last one had stayed locked in his house long enough that he put most reclusive shut-ins to shame. Neo had been forced to watch the place without moving or sleeping for close to a whole week. She had wondered which would have killed her first, the boredom or sleep deprivation.

If Bumblebee found out how little she had been taking care of her health, there would be hell to pay. Yang would chew her out for hours, telling her to take better care of herself and if she wasn't careful she would die from sleep deprivation or dehydration, blah blah. While Blake would just stare at her disapprovingly whenever Yang ran out of breath, her eyes delivering comments more scathing then anything the blond could throw at her. She often wondered if that was a stare a mother would use on a child who got caught with her hand in the cookie jar. _Not that I would know anything about having a mother_ Neo thought grimly.

Together the two made for an effective guilt trip and Neo wouldn't be able to endure it for much longer. It had been easier when they were both clueless about her real job, or enduring their punishment the first time she had been caught. Yang had just attacked her, which she could deal with. And Blake had yelled at her every day for a solid month. Which again, easy to deal with. But now they were much harder to ignore, because now they actually _cared._ They didn't scold her because they were angry at her for killing people, which Neo thought was a little weird. They were angry that she didn't take care of herself while she was doing it. Even if they didn't know the reasons, they couldn't stop her. So instead, Yang and Blake just did the best they could to care for her in the meantime and patch her up however they could.

The blaring of the microwave jarred her from her thoughts, forcing her to quickly yank the door open before the noise woke up the apartment's sleeping occupants. She knew she would have to deal with them eventually, but wanted to do it after she had gotten the payment and slept for a week. Ripping the top off the now hot container, she inspected what Blake had left for her. It looked like szechuan tofu stir fry, the chunks of not-meat coated in the spicy sauce that Yang always made whenever Blake made tofu. There were chunks of fried corn, asparagus, carrots and what looked like at least 7 other vegetables stirred into the mix. After pouring herself a beer Neo dug in, finding the whole thing delicious. Far too soon the food was gone, and Neo put the container in the sink, telling herself she would get it in the morning, which she never did.

She had almost made it out the door when a quiet voice whispered "You forgot something." Inwardly groaning, Neo turned around and saw Blake's silhouette leaning against the hallway leading to the bedrooms, her body was hidden by the shadows. Her amber eyes, shining brightly in the darkness, stood out like lighthouses on a stormy sea. After a few seconds she walked forward, the silvery moonlight providing a stark contrast against her raven hair and dark brown skin. Her face was a mixture of worry and anger, her left hand tightly gripping the straps of Neo's bag, the tension evident in her body.

Neo braced herself for the scolding that was to come. But Blake remained silent, staring at her with an intense gaze, an emotion on her face that Neo thought was anger. The silence stretched on until it grew uncomfortable, and Neo remembered that she had to get going. "I need that back." Neo said, her voice betraying how tired she was.

"Who was it this time?" Blake asked, as she or Yang always did whenever Neo came back from a job. They kept worrying that Neo had killed an innocent, a fear that Neo sometimes shared.

"Rapist and child molester, always burned the bodies so no one could prove anything." was Neo's reply. She had caught him with another would-be victim, thankfully before he could do any serious damage. Her face was so frightened when Neo had gutted the bastard, she had started laughing at the poor girl, which prompted her fleeing from the scene. Neo grabbed the bag from Blake's outstretched hand

"You need to stop doing this," she heard Blake say quietly, almost like she didn't want Neo to hear.

"I told you only a few more months," was Neo's short reply. She hadn't told Blake or Yang why she was suddenly working all the time, only that she had to. They had begged or screamed at her, demanding the truth, but in the end she would not budge. _If they knew,_ thought Neo grimly _, they wouldn't be safe. They can hate me all they want, I won't put them in danger_.

"When will you be back?" Blake asked, taking a step closer, her expression softning, changing into something else. Something Neo couldn't identify, or understand.

"As soon as I drop this off. I have to go." Neo said, as she turned and started to walk out the door. She expected Blake to protest, to ask her to come to bed or threaten to wake Yang if she left. But instead, she felt a pair of soft arms gently wrap around her. Normally she would have thrown them off, but in her exhausted state she couldn't react fast enough, and found herself pulled into a hug before she could react.

Blake held onto her gently, enveloping Neo in a warm embrace. She tried to pull away, but found herself falling into Blake, her exhausted body giving in far too quickly to the taller girl's relaxing presence. Blake was gently stroking her hair with one hand as her other arm provided Neo with support, silently doing what she could to help assure Neo that she wasn't mad, merely worried about her. Neo knew that later she would have to deal with her disapproval, but for now she was just happy that Blake wasn't yelling at her.

"I know this is hard on you. No matter how mad either Yang or I seem, it's only because we worry" Blake whispered quietly, pressing a quick kiss to the top of Neo's head while tightening the hug. Neo turned in her embrace, trying to mumble a reply but finding that the words simply wouldn't come. Without warning she felt moisture run down her cheeks, and realized that she was crying. She tried to pull away, but Blake simply held onto her tighter, refusing to let the smaller girl go.

Neo quickly gave up trying to escape and let herself cry, unable to stop the tears from flowing, her mind too exhausted to realize that her now loud sobbing was surely going to wake Yang. She felt herself let go, pouring out all the pain and fear from the last few months as Blake whispered gentle reassurances into her ear. Eventually she felt the flow of tears start to slow, then stop altogether. From her position her now clear eyes saw that it was nearing 4:30, and that if she wanted to deliver the package she had to leave now.

Blake wordlessly let her go, only whispering a quiet "Be safe" before watching Neo walk out the apartment, her night clothes soaked with the other girl's tears. She heard Yang walk up behind her and ask "Is she going to be ok," her voice laced with concern.

"That all depends on how much of our support she can bear, and how much support we can offer her. She does kill people for a living, even if they are the scum of the earth. I'd always assumed she didn't care, that killing was easy for her. But after tonight….." she trailed off, assuming that Yang had heard the girl crying. Heck, the apartment downstairs had probably heard her crying.

"She's breaking apart from the inside out. I just wish she would let us help her" Yang remarked bitterly.

"We've been over this, we can't push too much," Blake responded. "She has to be comfortable, willing to let us in, otherwise she could just up and disappear again. Remember what happened last time? She disappeared and we didn't see her again for a month."

"I know, I know," Yang responded, remembering how hellish that month had been. Blake had created a simple policy: no Neo, no sex. Yang had almost gone mad. "I remember, believe me. But how was I supposed to know that she had never been kissed before? She's a 20 year old murderer who happens to be hot as hell. She could have anyone she wants, guy or girl."

"You should have known to ask," was Blake's quiet reply. "It took three months of her living here before she would let us within a foot of her, another two months before we were allowed to touch her, almost another year before she agreed to sleep in the same bed. At least she eventually came back, even if she was drunk and covered in someone else's blood"

"Ugh don't remind me" Yang groaned, her mind going back to that eventful night. Neo had walked into the apartment at two in the morning, singing Broadway show-tunes in such a pleasant tone that Yang had been confused when she first woke up. After going into the kitchen and seeing Neo covered in blood, her shriek had been loud enough to wake whoever Neo had recently butchered, easily dragging Blake into full alertness.

One very long and suds filled shower later, Neo had drunkenly recounted the work she had done for the month she had been away. Apparently acting was both literally and figuratively a cutthroat business, with several prominent actors having gotten their roles by murdering their competition. Their friends wanted revenge, and were willing to pay handsomely, with a bonus if it looked like an accident. Neo had killed each one by replacing prop guns with real ones, filled with real bullets. The death performance was so realistic that the audiences had applauded, at least until someone realized the actor was actually dead. Mostly when they stayed still even after a scene change occurred. One performance that Neo stayed to watch had continued on for the whole duration, with the deceased actor's performance being called "the most realistic death portrayal ever." Yang shuddered, remembering how lovely Neo's laugh had been as she recounted that particular story. It would have been cute, and more than a little attractive, if it wasn't also horrifying.

"So I'm going back to bed, I have the morning shift at the clinic tomorrow," Blake said, shaking Yang out of her internal musings. "Keep the television down, and if you exercise then try to avoid putting any more holes into the wall. When she gets back, pick her up and carry her to the bathroom .Make sure she stays awake in the shower. She probably hasn't showered or slept in over 4 days."

"Ok," was Yang's tired response as she started up the coffee maker. "I don't have work, so I'll keep tabs and make sure she is here by the time you get back. From the looks of things, she is going to need you over the next few days.

"Need UU" Blake stressed. "She might not show it, but she needs you as much as she does me. Anyway, goodnight." As Blake turned towards the bedroom, she felt Yang grab her from behind.

"Aw c'mon Blakey, aren't you going to let me tuck you in" Yang whispered, her hot breath rolling across Blake's neck and causing her to blush involuntarily. Cursing her body's reaction, she swatted the blond away.

"No, I need to get as much sleep as I can if I am going to be able to deal with tomorrow. Besides, you kept me awake half the night already. Keep your pants on." Blake said, secretly wishing she could call in sick tomorrow morning. But it wouldn't do for Yang to find that out, or she would keep at it till Blake gave in. Not that she would take much convincing. But she couldn't skip out, the clinic would already be short staffed as it was.

"Fine, fine, go to bed," Yang said lazily, turning the television on and switching to Netflix, resigning herself to another Orange is the New Black marathon.

* * *

Neo woke up, blinking a few times and trying to remember where she was. She vaguely remembered dropping off the package around 5am, just before the first rays of light shone over the horizon. The client, Cinder Fall, was a regular of hers. The woman controlled nearly every prostitution ring and illegal gambling scene in Vale city, and was fiercely protective of her workers. She may have treated them like insects, but she was the only one allowed to do so. Damage her girls, or break the rules of her establishment, and she had you killed. Her current target, whose sawed-off head was floating in the bloody water of the cooler next to her, had raped and killed the daughter of one of Cinder's best prostitutes. As such, the reward was triple the standard rate.

Neo had shown up to the usual spot, Cinder's theater production office near downtown Vale. While masquerading as a semi-decent theater company, it was in reality a backroom whore house. If one was to look closely, the office employed far more actors then could be reasonably accounted for. That and several of the more attractive members, despite possessing beauty and grace, had never appeared in a single production. Cinder's office was on the top floor, positioned such that she could see everything, either in person or through the multiple security cameras she had set up. She was escorted to the top floor and allowed in after hearing the usual warning about wasting her time. It was normally taken very seriously: the floors of Cinder's office had turned cherry-red from all the blood that had seeped into the wood.

Neo had approached Cinder's desk, which true to her word looked like it had recently been set on fire. The desk itself had the appearance of embers from a fire after all the wood had been reduced to ash. Braziers burned in the background, the only source of light in the otherwise pitch dark office. Cinder's face was wreathed in shadow, though the theatrical effect was lost on Neo.

Cinder's had watched wordlessly as Neo provided proof of success, one of her lackeys taking the head for disposal. A different thug had given her a suitcase full of cash, and Neo had turned to leave.

"What, not going to check and see if it's all there?" Neo heard from behind her. Without turning around, she said "I don't trust you, you taught me that lesson personally. But you never shirk on business." As Neo left, she heard Cinder's quiet chuckle and her remark to one of her underlings. "That's why I employ her, she knows the rules. Trust is useless, unless blood or money is involved."

100,000 dollars, in exchange for a single week's work. Neo should have been happy, but by then all strength had deserted her. The last thing she remembered was making it to the door of her apartment, barely able to stand.

The sound of a quiet snort behind her brought Neo back to reality. Looking around, she realized she was back in her apartment. After her brain kicked in a few seconds later, she realized that someone was spooning her from behind. Turning around she realized she was curled up on the sofa. With Yang Xiao Long. Who. Was. Topless.

Neo knew she should do something. Scream, jump or run away. Something. But all she could do stare, her jaw hanging open as she tried to process what she was seeing. Neo had always known Yang was well endowed, but it was one thing to know it and another to wake up to it. _I'm either still dreaming_ Neo thought, _or I'm dead and somehow got a pass into heaven_.

A small grunt brought her back to reality, and with a jolt she looked up to see Yang wide awake and staring at her, a huge smirk on her face. "Like what you see?" Yang commented.

"I, uh, what, no, uhhhhhhhhh" Neo stuttered out, her face flushing hot as she struggled to form a sentence. She was silenced, however, as Yang pressed a brief kiss to her lips before grabbing a nearby shirt and pulling it on.

"Feel free to stare, I don't mind." Yang idly commented. In truth, she was certain that Neo didn't mind either. She had been staring at her chest, eyes clouded by desire, and probably would have kept staring forever if Yang hadn't stopped her. Yang figured that Neo was probably afraid to take the next step in their relationship because of her inexperience, not because she didn't trust her or Blake. Hence, she figured a little showing off wouldn't hurt.

Eventually, Neo seemed to recover and could look Yang in the face again.

"How did I get here," Neo asked. She figured that Yang and Blake had taken care of her when she had stumbled into the apartment. That and changed her, she realized once she looked down and saw she was now wearing her traditional pajamas: yellow tang top and black exercise shorts.

"You came in dead to the world," was Yang's simple reply. "I got you into the bath, made sure you didn't drown. From there Blake changed you, and you passed out on the bed. About an hour ago you woke up, used the bathroom and then came out here and passed out on the couch. You looked comfy, so I decided to join you. Blake should be home soon, so it would better if you stayed up for now."

Neo simply nodded her head, too stunned to speak. Normally by now the blond would be yelling at her, reminding her how stupid she was with her health, or how dangerous her "job" was. But instead she was being kind, a far cry from her usual angry responses.

While Neo was internally debating how things had changed so rapidly in a few short hours, Yang decided she wasn't going to run off any time soon and decided to make some lunch. She and Neo dined off frozen pizza and decided to watch reruns of Law and Order, with Neo pointing out exactly where each criminal had screwed up and how she would have done it differently. Blake walked in just as the episode was ending.

"Welcome back" Yang said, giving Blake a quick kiss on the lips. "How was the clinic?" Yang asked

"Terrible, I wish I had two of me," Blake said, hanging up her keys and plopping down on the sofa, sandwiching Neo between her and Yang. "We had two dogs that were hit by cars, one of which didn't make it. Two new adoptees brought in their untrained newborns, and they treated the entire clinic as one giant toilet. That's on top of all the work we already had scheduled for today."

Neo and Yang shared a quick look. Blake was utterly and completely exhausted. They both knew she loved working with animals, it was her passion that got the clinic interested in her in the first place. When college graduates were having difficulty finding a job, a junior without a degree had found her dream position, for the summer at least. The tradeoff was that she was worked to the bone: cleaning all the cages, doing endless amounts of paperwork, and dealing with the most snobbish or uncaring customers. They had her work the understaffed shifts, where three people were expected to do the work of seven with smiles on their face. And every time she came home, she was always exhausted, wanting nothing more than to curl up in bed and sleep the day away.

Without a thing needing to be said they set to work. Neo started up a hot bath while Yang set about getting Blake into the bedroom and changed into a robe. Once that was done they put her in the tub and let her soak while they reheated last night's supper. By the time Blake came back into the kitchen, she was looking much better. The tension was gone from her exhausted muscles, her shoulders had relaxed and she had a quiet smile on her face. Blake would never admit it, but she loved it when Yang and Neo took care of her. It made her feel special, wanted, even loved: something she hadn't felt since she was a child. Until she had met Yang, and Neo later on, she was treated as a tool, something that was appreciated only as long as it did it's job.

Blake sat down and quickly ate, further complaining about her day as Yang and Neo listened attentively, occasionally interjecting or agreeing as necessary. By the time she was done eating her eyelids had started drooping again, and Yang led her to bed without another word. The two girls curled up, not even bothering to extinguish the lights. Neo flicked them off, and hesitated on the edge of the bed, debating if she should get in or not. Yang solved that particular issue for her, grabbing the shorter girl and pulling her onto the bed, sandwiching her between Yang and Blake. When Neo tried to protest, Yang silenced her with a peck on the lips.

"I know you're still exhausted," Yang said, yawning loudly before continuing. "I spent half the night watching television and worrying about you, and Blake just worked an 8 hour shift in hell. We're all exhausted, so just go to sleep."

As Yang shut her eyes, Neo asked her one question before sleep took them both. "Yang, what are we doing?"

"Hmmmmm," was Yang's tired reply.

"You and Blake have been dating since before I moved in here," Neo said, trying to keep her voice low enough to avoid waking Blake. "But now I'm sleeping in the same bed as both of you, we cuddle up on the couch, occasionally kiss, and yet you and Blake still have sex whenever I'm not here and sometimes when I am here. So you two are still clearly dating. But what are the three of us?"

Yang remained quiet for a second, collecting her thoughts. "Neo, Blake and I care about you. A lot. We want to help you, simple as that. So this relationship is whatever you want it to be, whatever you need it to be."

As Yang said this, Neo felt Blake cuddle against her in her sleep. She was like a cat, seeking warmth wherever she could find it. She enveloped Neo with both of her arms and pulled herself flush against Neo's body. Neo found herself enjoying the embrace immensely, and to her surprise she felt tears welling in her eyes for the second time that day. She couldn't remember ever feeling this happy, this loved. Until now, no one had ever made her feel wanted, important. Until now, all she had ever felt was worthless, as if she would be better off dead. Part of her kept repeating _you don't deserve this, you are just a psycho who kills people for money, you are nothing but a danger to them_ and she found herself trembling as she sobbed harder and harder. By this point Blake had been woken up, and was looking at Yang with concern, who was trying to figure out what was wrong.

"Neo, Neo what's going on," Yang asked, desperately trying to understand what had caused her to break down like this.

"Wh, wh, whyy are you doing this? Why are you helping me? Why do you even care?" Neo asked through her sobs.

Blake and Yang looked down at this crying, trembling girl currently wrapped in their arms, before answering in unison "Because we love you." Which only caused Neo to cry harder, soaking the sheets with her tears. She tried to get up, tried to hide her shameful weakness. She felt ashamed for breaking down like this, she was supposed to be strong. But Blake and Yang were having none of that. Blake tightened her hold and clamped Neo's legs with her own while Yang latched onto Blake, effectively trapping Neo between them. In this position Neo could do nothing but latch onto Yang and bury her head into the older girls shoulder.

Blake gently hummed a lullaby while Yang whispered calming mutterings into Neo's ear, reassurances that everything was going to be fine and that they would figure this out together. Eventually Neo stopped sobbing, and based on her gentle snoring the poor thing had cried herself to sleep. Blake and Yang exchanged a wordless glance, and agreed that they would do whatever was necessary to help the broken girl that was now asleep in their arms. But that could wait till morning, and both girls let their heads hit the pillows, listening to Neo's gentle breathing as sleep took them.

* * *

 _Author's notes_

 _Feedback is always appreciated, good or bad. Hope you guys enjoyed_


	2. Breakfast, the Birds and the Bees

_There is a bird orgy going on outside_ , Neo thought sleepily, _that or the world is ending. It's the only possible explanation for all that noise._ The birds continued their revelry as the first rays of dawn filtered lazily through the window. It seemed even the sun itself was feeling sleepy this morning, as most of its rays were blocked by the clouds. Neo resigned herself to having to wake up soon, _but not quite yet_ she thought with a lazy smile, her still exhausted body offering up no complaints to this decision.

Burying her head back into what had to be the world's warmest and softest pillow, she tried to relax and will her body back to sleep. At least that was her plan, until she felt her pillow move. It took her a few seconds, but eventually her brain conjured up the thought _pillows don't move. Or make the sound *thump* *thump* *thump*._ Suddenly, a voice from behind her shocked her into full alertness.

'Enjoying yourself?" Blake asked sleepy, yawning before she continued. "I can verify from personal experience, Yang is the best pillow ever. Though you have to make sure you wake up first, otherwise she'll try to ravish you in your sleep." As she said this, Neo's heart felt like it was going to pound right out of her chest and she felt blood rushing through her entire body. Most of it went to her face, and she erupted in a massive blush, which thankfully Blake couldn't see. The rest of it, however, rushed to her core, provoking an unfamiliar heat and dampness in her lower extremities. It was an unfamiliar feeling to Neo, though not entirely uncomfortable. It was fierce, and demanded her attention, the sooner the better.

Neo sat up and turned to face Blake, planning to ask what the feeling was and how to deal with it, but her words stopped dead in her mouth. Blake was in the middle of her mid-morning stretching, her hands raised high above her head as she straightened her back, hoping to work out the kinks from the night before. She looked like a cat that had just woken up from a nap, lazily greeting a new day. This position, however, had the added effect of placing her breasts mere inches from Neo's now paralyzed face.

 _I think I just discovered a new way to kill people via heart attack,_ Neo thought as she stared at Blake's chest, her eyes unable to look away. Even covered by the thin nightgown, Neo could still make out their shape with perfect accuracy. Yang had once drunkenly described them as "perfectly suited for a pair of hands" and Neo found herself agreeing with that statement. She found herself wondering whose were better, Blake's or Yang's? _I bet they would let me compare,_ Neo thought _,_ imagining herself holding Blake's in one hand and Yang's in the other, gently squeezing and kneading them like different sized balls of dough.

As her imagination continued the fantasy, part of her wondered how she could possibly turn it into a reality. She doubted either girl would object, but part of her still believed that everything Blake and Yang were doing for her was due to pity. That or they were just trying to take advantage of her. She knew she was wrong, that both girls did truly care about her, but a lifetime of suspicion and paranoia was hard to unlearn. Before living in this apartment, trust did not exist in Neo's life. To trust was to be betrayed, and more often than not to die.

While all this was running through Neo's mind, her eyes had never averted from Blake's chest. Blake had noticed, but far from bothering her she felt happiness well up inside her. The fact that Neo was still in bed with them was a good sign on its own. Normally when Neo slept with Blake and Yang, an already rare occurrence, she was always the first awake, up and showering before dawn.

This was the first time Blake had woken up to find Neo sleeping, and she had spent a long time looking at the other girls face. It was a stark difference from how she normally looked. Awake Neo rarely ever let her guard down, keeping her face as unremarkable as possible to ensure no one looked at her twice. Blake or Yang could get a small smile out of her, but it happened with such irregularity that most days they had a better chance of winning the lottery. When she was sleeping however, all that tension melted away, revealing the real girl underneath. Currently, her face was relaxed and peaceful, a sleepy smile gracing her lips as she dreamed. She was completely at ease, trusting the people around her to keep her safe.

Blake knew very little of Neo's past: the girl was careful to reveal as little about herself as possible, but she had picked up a few details. Like how Neo constantly looked behind her when she walked, afraid she was being followed. Or how she only drank and ate from things other people had already tasted, as if she was afraid of being poisoned. That and the fact that she was able to kill people, with no small amount of skill. She had never been caught, never been charged, and almost never injured.

 _Her upbringing must have been even worse than mine_ Blake thought, her mind casting back to the dark times of her childhood. It had been hard enough for her to fully trust Yang, Ruby and Weiss, much less all the other friends she had made in the last few years. It had taken her months to open up to anyone, and she had only done so because of Yang's tireless patience and kindness. But Neo was obviously still struggling with something, some issue in her life that kept her from fully lowering her guard. That and the fact that Neo had broken down sobbing not once, but twice yesterday told Blake that the girl was carrying a large darkness in her heart, and it was killing her inside. She had never seen Neo cry before, and it had been a shock to both her and Yang. They had thought the girl was incapable of emotions.

 _I want to help her, Blake realized, despite everything that she does, everything that she is. No one who cries like that kills people without a reason. Something or someone has forced her into this terrible situation. But despite everything that happened to her, she can still smile. She isn't a monster, not yet._

When Neo woke up, Blake had started stretching to hide the fact that she had been staring. When Neo had turned around, Blake had been shocked. Neo's sleeping face was pleasant enough but the look of lust and want she now had on display was another thing entirely. Blake had only seen such raw desire on Yang's face during the month she had forbidden sex, as she had relentlessly teased Yang to punish her for driving Neo to flee. And it was a look she had never seen on Neo's face before, at least not until now. She looked like she was one little push away from mounting Blake and taking her, right then and there. To Blake, it meant progress: Neo was allowing herself to be vulnerable, to admit that she wanted and needed someone else.

There was however, another reason Blake was happy to see Neo's face contorted in desire: Blake was attracted to Neo, just like Yang. Ever since Neo had walked in on them having a particularly loud "session" on the couch almost a year ago, they had both felt a strange attraction to the small girl. She was like a hard-to-find delicacy, some sort of delicious treat that you didn't get to enjoy very often. Her name itself was a good indicator, but more than that it was her appearance and her personality.

The girl's hair was brown and pink with vanilla shades, and her eyes seemed to switch between the three colors at will. Combine that with her 5 foot flat height, and she resembled the kind of luxury that was her namesake. She was a rarity, the kind of treat that made you want to enjoy every single bite, to eat it as slowly as possible, to savor every second you had that tantalizing taste gracing the tip of your tongue. The kind of thing that you had to put in the effort to enjoy, but that only improved its value.

At first she and Yang had struggled with their mutual attraction, not revealing it to the other in fear of damaging their relationship. But after one night, and a particularly sappy romantic comedy crying session, the truth had come out, to the delight of both girls. They figured that as long as everyone was happy with the arrangement, they saw no reason to not include another person in their relationship. After all, despite being almost two years older they figured Neo was as much of an adult as they were. She had a full-time job, if contract killing could be considered a job, and probably was more rational then most full grown adults. Getting Neo to agree, however, had been far harder.

The sound of Yang waking up brought both girls back to reality. Blake realized that she had been in that same position for almost 10 minutes, her body continuously close to overheating. Figuring a cold shower would help, she raced into the bathroom and turned the cold on full blast, barely remembering to get her clothes off before stepping into the frigid waters.

Meanwhile, Blake looked at Yang and asked "Has Neo seemed different to you recently?"

"Well, she woke up next to me yesterday while I was topless, and she didn't run away screaming," Yang stated casually, as if she was commenting on the weather.

"What, why did you do that," hissed Blake, looking like she was about to smack the blonde for her idiocy.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down. She didn't react badly. In fact she seemed to appreciate the view. She wouldn't stop staring," Yang quickly explained while making calming gestures with her hands, hoping to cool down her angry girlfriend

Blake took a second to process, but then responded "Huh, well the same thing just happened to me"

Yang said nothing, letting her now full blown smirk do all the talking.

"Shut up," Blake said, her face growing red with embarrassment. "It wasn't intentional, we both just lost track of time. I didn't mean to, but she seemed to want it so I didn't try to stop her."

"Good, don't" was Yang's simply reply. "Maybe this is her way of telling us she is ready to take the next step" Yang said, her eyebrows wiggling suggestively

"No" was Blake's instant reply, swatting Yang for good measure before continuing. "Just because we caught her ogling us doesn't mean she is ready for anything. We need to let her come to us, when she is ready and NOT before. If we push her she might run off for good this time."

"Fine, fine," Yang replied.

"Good, you don't want to have to endure another month of punishment, do you?" Was Blake's threatening response. She wanted to ensure that Yang got the picture. Based on how her face went pale and her mumbled "no", she got the message loud and clear.

After several moments, Yang figured it was time to address the topic that they had been avoiding since last night. Since Neo would be done showering soon, the younger girl always taking the shortest possible showers, Yang bluntly asked. "What do we do about Neo?"

Blake sighed, having hoped that Yang wouldn't bring this up so early in the morning. _I just wanted some coffee first, but that's clearly not happening._ "What do you mean?"

"She broke down sobbing last night, cried herself to sleep in our arms. She's never cried before, not in front of us. Hell, I didn't think she could cry. So What. Do. We Do?" was Yang's reply, her voice growing more agitated by the second.

Blake took a few moments to gather her thoughts before responding "Same thing we always do, don't talk about it if she doesn't."

"This is different. You know that. We can't keep ignoring this situation, her, everything, any longer." By this point Yang was almost yelling, her anger rising at how casual Blake was being with the whole situation. Neo would have heard her by now if not for the sounds of the shower masking her voice, but there was no telling when she would be done.

"And we won't. But right now is not the time." Blake replied, trying to calm Yang down before Neo finished her shower and heard them talking. "Whatever caused last night is still affecting her, it's too soon to bring it back up. We need her calm, stable. Otherwise she will do what she always does, run away from the issue and from us."

"She might never be stable, you know that" was Yang's angry retort. "I can't stand seeing her like this. We need to help her."

"And how do you suggest..." Blake's reply was cut off by the sound of the shower stopping, signaling the end of the conversation. Yang gave Blake a look signaling that this topic was merely postponed, not finished.

At that point Neo came out of the bathroom, refreshed and awake. Blake went next, while Yang walked into the kitchen to get the prep work for breakfast started. No matter what their work schedules, Yang and Blake always had Sunday off, so breakfast was normally a large affair. Yang did the prep work while Blake showered, pulling out all the necessary ingredients and utensils, making sure everything was ready. Then Blake made whatever she felt like while Yang took her shower, which was normally far longer. By the time she got out, everything was nearly done. Neo, who had never been around for such a grand affair, wordlessly set the table, it being the only thing she felt she could do.

The result was a rather impressive spread. Chocolate chip pancakes and French Toast dominated the center of the table, their delicious smell making Neo's mouth water. Containers filled with apples, oranges, banana slices and strawberries surrounded a platter full of bacon and sausage, cooked to various degrees of crispiness for each person's preference. Buttered bread and fresh baked rolls were in baskets near the table's edge.

Neo had never eaten anything half as delicious in her entire life. After repeating so out loud, Blake blushed slightly and offered a muffled thank you, before resuming quietly eating. Yang, on the other hand, seemingly trying to fill the void of conversation, was eating as loudly as possible. She shoveled food into her mouth with such speed Neo was amazing that she hadn't choked or become fat by now.

After noticing her face, Blake said "I don't know where she puts it either, but you'll eventually get used to it."

"I keep telling you, I have a literal fire in my belly that just burns it all up. Besides, I need it all to provide fuel for _activities,"_ was Yang's quick reply, eliciting blushes from both Blake and Neo.

While Blake's was expected, Neo's was surprising, and noticed by both Blake and Yang. Sparing the poor girl further embarrassment, everyone resumed eating. Far too quickly, all the food had vanished and Neo started the process of cleaning the dishes. Soon enough they were done, and the girls found themselves lounging on their new black couch, courtesy of Neo. After the last time she had walked in on Blake and Yang going at it on the couch, she had forced them to carry it outside and burn the couch, before buying a new one. Again. Not that it mattered much, the newest couch was far comfier then the last three had been and had the added benefit of being stain proof.

Blake broke the silence, stating "Yang, we need to do some shopping today, then we have that new movie at 4 you wanted to see, right?"

"Yeah, it's finally my turn to pick the dates again. I've had enough chic flics to last a life time," was Yang's reply

"You cried at the end of Crazy Stupid Love and you know it," was Blake's reply, not even looking up from the shopping list she was writing.

"BLAKE, I told you to never mention that again," was Yang's quiet reply, trying to maintain her tough exterior as she continued. "Anyway, that new Mad Max movie has been out for weeks, and one way or another I'm seeing it. Neo, you want to come along?"

Neo, who had been lost in thought, took a moment to reply "No thank you."

"Aw c'mon, it's going to be full of over-the-top destruction and killing. You love stuff like that"

In reality, Neo really wanted to go. Not just because she wanted to see the movie, though she REALLY wanted to see the movie, but because Blake and Yang were inviting her to go. To spend time with them. Her mind however, told her otherwise " _But maybe they don't want to spend time with you, maybe they just pity you. Who would want to spend time with someone with so much blood on their hands?"_

So Neo simply responded "I already saw it, I'm good."

Realizing that she wouldn't convince her, Yang simply responded with "Ok" before turning to Blake "So Ruby and Weiss are coming over tonight, should we cook?"

"Order takeout, you know how Weiss secretly loves pepperoni pizza and never gets it at home. Besides, I feel like _eating out_ tonight" was Yang's reply, delivered with such an air of casualness that Blake almost missed the hidden meaning, only realizing it after Yang started quietly chuckling. Neo, of course, remained oblivious. However, she had never met this Ruby or Weiss, and didn't want to, so she began making plans to be out of the apartment for the night.

Blake, proving herself to be a mind reader, said "Neo, don't even think about getting out of it this time. They are our best friends, and Ruby is Yang's cousin. They have been asking about you for months, and it would mean a lot to us if you were here to meet them."

Neo, of course, had no way of refusing. Blake had asked something of her, something she could actually do, so she resigned herself to a night of awkward questions and tense atmospheres.

Yang, noticing Neo's reluctance, looked her dead in the eye and said "Don't worry, we won't tell them what you do or anything you don't want them to know. Blake and I have already told them you inherited money from your parents, which is how you can afford this apartment with us, and you go to a private school which is why Ruby has never met you at Beacon. She would be in the same grade as you, so we had to think of something. But we promise you, we haven't told them anything. Whatever you are comfortable with them knowing, that's up to you. If all you want to do is sit on the couch and listen, you are free to do that. They will understand."

Neo seriously doubted they would understand, but she merely nodded. The girls passed the rest of the time making small talk till Blake and Yang left to go grocery shopping, Neo apparently taking a nap on the couch. The second the girls were out of the apartment, however, Neo's eyes shot open. In a flash she had opened the window and was scurrying down the fire escape, intending to follow Blake and Yang.

She doubted that anything would happen to them, but she didn't want to take any risks. Despite how she may act, the mere thought of her life without Blake and Yang in it was enough to terrify her. She would do whatever was necessary to keep her safe, no matter the cost to herself and others. _Though, any more of this and I won't survive much longer. This whole contract killer thing is hard enough._ But it kept them safe, so Neo wouldn't complain. Yang and Blake had done so much for her, they had given her life color and warmth. Without them she would be in an endless world of gray and cold, doing only what was necessary to survive because her body wouldn't let her die. She wouldn't go back to that place, she refused to even think about it. Yang and Blake were happy, alive and oblivious, and if Neo had her say, they would stay that way.

She caught up with the pair at the intersection of 26th and Bramble, then maintained her distance, trailing the two invisibly. Or so she thought. Blake saw Neo following them, as she had for the last few times they had been tailed. _That girl is good,_ Blake thought, _but not that good. No normal thug would ever notice her though, and Yang definitely hasn't figured it out_. _But for someone like me, she might as well be wearing a big neon sign on her head saying "Here I am."_ Blake thought it was adorable though, Neo trying to look out for the two of them. So the next time she spotted Neo looking at them, she quickly looked behind her and gave her an obvious wink, before beckoning Neo towards her with a single finger. Realizing she had been caught, the girl meekly wandered over.

"Neo, if you wanted to come, all you had to do was ask," Blake said as soon as Neo was within earshot. "Besides, with you along Yang and I won't have to carry as much."

"Awww, you followed us, that's so cute," Yang squealed, grabbing Neo in a tight hug despite the other girl's protests.

"You blonde brute, put me down," was Neo's quiet but fierce reply, though it was delivered with such an adorable pout that Yang only squeezed harder, pulling the smaller girl to her chest. Neo quickly decided to stop struggling, since breaking out of one of Yang's hugs was nearly impossible.

All too soon, however, Yang put her down and the girls continued onto the store, chatting aimlessly about what to do during the summer. The beach was an often brought up idea, though Neo tried her best to shoot it down. Ever since that one incident, she hadn't been a fan of water. But in the ends, the other girls had convinced her to go. It wasn't like she had to go into the water, just look at it.

The shopping trip went without incident, though Blake did pull Neo aside and promise to not tell Yang about the times Neo had followed them, "under the condition that from now on you walk with us, NOT behind us." Neo had no choice but to agree if she wanted to protect them, since Blake could spot her in any crowd, no matter how she tried to hide herself. _Given her former occupation though, it's hardly surprising,_ Neo thought to herself.

The girls returned home, and after quickly stocking the fridge and cabinets with their purchases made their way to the movie theatre. Due to it being a beautiful Sunday afternoon, it was mostly empty. After buying popcorn and drinks, which Neo paid for with some of her newly acquired payment, they made their way to the showroom marked 11, near the back. The place was mostly deserted, giving them free range of the available seating, and they picked the very back row, since according to Yang "It gave the best overall view."

Soon enough the movie started, and Yang instantly became enthralled. Neo watched quietly, devouring the large popcorn that she and Blake were sharing. Yang, of course, had her own. As she went to grab another handful, however, Blake snatched her hand away and held it gently between her own.

Placing her mouth next to Neo's ear, she whispered "Slow down, we don't want you choking on us." The feeling of Blake's warm breath on her ear combined with the softness of her hand caused Neo to blush furiously, and she was grateful for the darkness of the theatre.

Blake, however, somehow saw and decided to tease Neo a little. She leaned in even closer, until her mouth was almost touching Neo's ear, letting go of Neo's hand and running her hand along the other girl's inner thigh.

"Is the movie bothering you," Blake whispered, knowing exactly why Neo's face was flushed. She paused, waiting to see if Neo would respond, before continuing. "Are you ok, you look like you're burning up? Here, let me feel your forehead." She put her hand on the other girl's head, and turned her head to the side. Neo felt herself leaning into Blake's soft hand, her eyes closing involuntarily as she relished the feeling of the other girl's hand on her face. It felt so nice, so cooling. It was nothing however, compared to the feeling of Blake's lips gently brushing against her forehead. The shock forced her eyelids opened, not quite believing what was going on.

Blake, seeing Neo's reaction, smiled to herself in the darkness before whispering "Wow, you really are hot, is there anything I can do?" Blake expected Neo to stammer out a quiet reply, or just continue staring. However, what she did next was entirely unexpected.

Neo wrapped her left arm around Blake's shoulders, and her right around Blake's neck. She gently pulled, drawing Blake's head down to her level before smashing their lips together furiously. Neo didn't know what made her do this, since she never initiated anything before, but it just felt _right, oh so right_.

Blake, on the other hand, was shocked. So much so that it took her a few seconds to realize what was going on, before she wrapped her arms around Neo and started kissing her back, pulling the girl as close as she could in their current position. It was awkward at first, since there was an armrest digging painfully into both of their abdomens. Neo quickly solved that problem, however, by climbing into Blake's lap, not breaking the kiss the entire time.

Blake quickly found she enjoyed this position, guiding the smaller girl into the proper spot on her lap. She cupped Neo's head in one hand, angling her head to provide a better angle while she placed her other hand on the diminutive girl's back, pulling her flush against her body. Neo could feel every inch of contact she had with Blake: the older girl's breasts pressing against her own, the warmth of the raven haired girl's legs flush against her thighs. Neo quickly pulled back, panting and trying think through the haze that now fogged her brain.

Blake, thinking she had done something wrong, quickly whispered "Did I do something wrong, I'm so sor..."

Neo silenced her with a quick kiss, before stopping it and saying "Not at all, I just needed to breathe. And, what should I do now?"

Blake merely smiled before grabbing the other girl by the neck and pulling her down for another kiss. After several moments, Blake rubbed her tongue along Neo's upper lip before switching to the lower, silently asking for permission to enter. Neo happily granted it, feeling the other girls tongue rub up against her own before exploring the rest of her mouth. Blake continued like this for several moments before drawing her tongue back in, hoping that Neo's would follow her. Neo didn't disappoint, though she was far more hesitant, gently probing at first.

Blake, hoping to encourage the far more inexperienced girl, made sure to provide plenty of reassurance. She grabbed Neo tighter, hugging the girl with both her arms and moaning softly into her mouth. She had finally made some progress, and didn't want Neo to stop now, or ever again. The other girl didn't disappoint, growing bolder and more confident with her tongue as time went on. Eventually however, oxygen became a need and both girls pulled apart, panting quietly

"I want to try something, tell me to stop if it bothers you" Blake whispered quietly, looking Neo in the eyes to make sure she knew that Blake wouldn't be mad. She didn't want to push the younger girl too far, too fast. She wanted her to feel comfortable doing this, with both her and Yang.

Neo nodded wordlessly, waiting to see what Blake would do. Part of her was excited, but part of her was scared, afraid of reacting badly.

Blake leaned forward, hesitating to make sure Neo was still ok, before gently nibbling on her earlobe. Neo let out an involuntary moan, the unexpected sensation sending shivers of pleasure down her spine. She felt her core grow hot, even more than it had earlier that morning. Blake continued nibbling, occasionally sucking for a few seconds before switching to the other ear and continuing her treatment. Neo's moaning was growing louder, and it was driving Blake mad with delight. It was a beautiful sound, the girl's voice light and sweet. The fact that she was the cause of it, that Neo was allowing her to do this, only made it better in Blake's mind.

"Could you two keep it down, I'm trying to watch the movie. It's almost over" whispered Yang, shocking the two out of their moment and jarring them back to reality. "And don't think I'm going to forget this," Yang continued, giving them both a smirk that was somehow made her look happy and pissed at the same time.

Neo climbed off Blake's lap and sat back into her own chair, focusing her gaze on the movie. She felt Blake grab her hand again, idly tracing patterns with her thumb while they both waited for the movie to finish so Yang could scold them.

After the credits rolled, the three of them started walking home. Once they reached the apartment, Yang stormed inside before whirling on them and asking "Ok, what was that?"

Neo, not sure of the question, simply responded "It was Blake and I making out in a movie theatre. Did we do something wrong?"

"Yeah," was Yang's response. "You forgot to include me! I felt left out, having to watch you two go at it and not knowing if I was invited." As she said this, a hurt look crossed her face for a second, before quickly vanishing.

Blake however, wasn't fooled. "Yang, I'm sorry. We didn't mean to ignore you, it just kinda….happened."

Blake looked at both Yang and Neo, her gaze fixing them intently, before continuing. "Look, the three of us are in this TOGETHER. Which means that if something is going on between two people and the third person wants to join in, they are free to do so. If they would rather sit on the couch and eat chips, that's fine too."

Looking at Neo intently, she drew the other girl's gaze to her own. "And Neo, if at any time either of us do ANYTHING that makes you even a little uncomfortable, let us know and we will stop instantly. Right Yang?" Blake asked, fixing Yang with a death glare.

"Yeah, totally," Yang quickly agreed, looking at Neo and saying "We won't push, much. If there is something you want, just say the words." Neo brightened considerably at that, already planning on taking advantage of their offer. Unfortunately Yang's next sentence cut her plans to ribbons. "But Ruby and Weiss will be over soon, so someone needs to order the pizza."

 _Gonna have to wait till later tonight_ , Neo thought to herself. _Though I wonder how much Ruby and Weiss already know, vs how much I'm going to have to explain. This is going to be a long night._

* * *

 _Author's_ _notes_

 _Feedback is always appreciated, good or bad. Hope you guys enjoyed_


	3. Roses, Remembrances and Revelations

_Author's notes_

 _To all my readers, followers, favoritesrs and reviewers, THANK YOU! Thank you for giving this story and this paring a chance, I get it isn't conventional. I hope to not disappoint._

 _That being said, we all know what you're here for. Enjoy, (hopefully)._

* * *

 _And I thought Blake and Yang were a weird couple_ was Neo's first thought after meeting Weiss Schnee and Ruby Rose, who had arrived at exactly 8pm. Apparently they were known for being punctual, since Yang had opened the door at the exact same instance that Ruby was raising her hand to knock. After recovering from the initial shock, Ruby had tackled Yang with a hug, her shrill cry of "Yaaaaannnnnggg", echoing throughout the apartment. Weiss, on the other hand, merely nodded before locking gazes with Blake and offering a simple hello. Blake responded with a "Hey Ice princess", and pulled the girl into a hug, despite her token protests. Neo, watching from her spot on the couch, decided to remain where she was and observe the new strangers that had entered her apartment.

Neo sized up the girl currently wrapped in Yang's arms first, assuming that was her cousin Ruby. The girl was a bit taller than Neo, with shoulder length black hair and silver eyes. She was wearing black jeans, a sleeveless dark red shirt with a rose on the front and carried a blood red sweatshirt in her hands. Her only jewelry seemed to be silver earrings shaped like crosses and a belt with a grinning skull on the front. What stood out to Neo, however, was the girl's shoes. At first glance they seemed unremarkable, plain white with black laces and dark blue snowflake patterns, and it wasn't until Ruby started moving again that it clicked in Neo's head. The shoes were custom made, designed to look elegant and stylish while being perfectly balanced. The girl could sprint down the street at full speed, then walk right into a high society party without ever changing her footwear. _Those shoes cost more than her entire outfit ten times over,_ Neo thought. _There is no way she bought those herself._

Continuing her observations, Neo decided that Ruby resembled what a little yippy dog would be if it was turned into a human. She seemed like the kind of person who would be energetic for hours, then pass out on the floor like she was dead to the world. _Yang did mention that her cousin ran track, so I guess it makes sense_ Neo mused. The girl was in excellent shape, and moved with the ease of someone to whom running was as easy as breathing. Satisfied that the girl wasn't a threat, Neo turned her attention to the other girl, who was now sitting in the kitchen, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

Weiss Schnee was perhaps the polar opposite of Ruby, at least in terms of appearance. The girl was about the same height, with pale skin, snow white hair pulled back into a ponytail and eyes like the purest ice. Almost everything she was wearing appeared to be either handmade or custom ordered. She had on a white and black skirt with a matching jacket, the top of which was unbuttoned revealing a dark blue undershirt. Her footwear consisted of knee high platform boots, their design and pattern resembling the shoes of one Ruby Rose. _So the shoes were a gift,_ Neo muttered. _Either Weiss spends money like water, or she must really love Ruby._ Neo filed that information away for future use. _No telling when it might be necessary to know someone rich, or knowing a rich someone's weak spot_. _Her entire outfit was probably worth enough to buy the entire building,_ Neo thought with a hint of jealously, wishing she had access to that kind of money.

The girl's personality, what small amount Neo could glean from her observations, added further evidence to Weiss being Ruby's total opposite. Everything she did was controlled and direct, not a single movement wasted on something unnecessary. Her poise and bearing bespoke training from a young age, while her face was carefully guarded so as to betray almost nothing, show no emotion or a single shred of weakness. As Neo continued to watch her however, she saw Weiss's face lose some of its hardness, become a bit more human, as if she was forcing herself to relax. _It's me,_ Neo realized, _I'm a stranger and that caused her to keep her guard up. But since Blake and Yang have vouched for me, she is willing to trust me, for now._ The girl's effort made Neo realize how much she had in common with Weiss: both girls had a difficult time relaxing around anyone they didn't trust explicitly, and the number of people they did probably could be counted on one hand.

There were, however, a few things about Weiss that stood out to Neo. First was the girl's near complete lack of jewelry: she wore none, except for a single chain around her neck that had a silver cross hanging from it with a red jewel embedded in the center. It looked cheap, at least compared to the rest of her outfit, and Neo assumed it was a gift. _It must mean a lot to her though, if she is willing to wear something as cheap as that. Though if it was a present from Ruby, then to Weiss it's worth far more than money._ Then there was the way that her eyes constantly focused on Ruby, glancing at her out of the corner of her eye every few seconds, as if to make sure she was still there. Whenever she looked at Ruby, her eyes briefly glowed with a warmth that Neo had often seen in the eyes of Blake and Yang when they looked at her. _This girl really loves Ruby,_ Neo decided, _and if the way Ruby looks at her is any indication she loves her right back._

So both girls seemed average, if saturated with love for each other. But there was something about their eyes that made Neo reconsider. Their eyes had a hidden depth about them, a darkness that drew you in if you looked too deeply. It was the darkness of someone who had endured true pain in their lives. It resembled the darkness that Neo had seen in the eyes of abandoned children on the streets, unwanted and unloved by society. It was the same sight that Neo saw every time she looked into a mirror.

And yet, there was also light in their eyes. The light of someone who had taken everything life had thrown at them and remained standing, unwilling to give into despair. The light of someone who had been forced to fight for their happiness, to earn every moment of joy in their lives. _The same light that I'm so sorely lacking_ Neo thought glumly. _It's like the light that I sometimes see in Blake's eyes when she is reminded of her past, or of Yang when she thinks of the rest of her family. The light of someone who refused to give up hope, who refuses to let the demons of the past keep them from enjoying what they have now._

Altogether, their eyes told Neo far more about them than anything she could gleam from some meaningless conversation. _Weiss has eyes like a caged animal, someone who has been in chains their whole life and has finally had their first taste of freedom. The problem is, she has no idea what to do with it. The cage door is open, but she hasn't flown out yet. Ruby's, on the other hand, look like that of an animal that has trapped themselves. She has willingly joined Weiss in that cage of hers, waiting till the day that they can both fly out together. And she is completely content with the new arrangement, because she gets to be with the one she loves._

 _That's why their relationship works,_ Neo realized, _they balance each other out._

"So I'm guessing that's your roommate," Neo heard dimly, forcing her mind back to reality and the situation at hand.

Realizing she was being addressed, Neo stepped out from behind the couch and said "I'm Neo, nice to meet you"

"Omg, she's adorable," Ruby squealed, sprinting over to Neo and wrapping her into a tight hug before she could react. _This girl,_ Neo thought, _is way faster than I imagined. I barely saw her move, she could put most hardened criminals to shame_.

Neo saw Blake and Yang tense up, as if they were worried that Neo would react badly to being grabbed by a total stranger. _I appreciate the concern, but I'm not THAT anti-social, at least I hope not_ Neo thought, deciding to fix Blake and Yang with a look before rolling her eyes, as if to say _Really?_

The sound of barely controlled laughter broke the silence, drawing everyone's gaze over to Weiss, who was now hiding her chuckling behind one hand. She controlled herself before noticing everyone's shocked or puzzled expressions. "What, her expression was funny," she said, confused as to why everyone was staring at her.

"Weiss, she made you laugh," Yang stated, still in shock by what she had just seen. "The only person I have ever seen make you laugh like that was Ruby. Blake and I can make you chuckle occasionally, MAYBE laugh once in a blue moon. But Neo makes one facial expression, and you're laughing like it's the funniest thing you have seen all day."

"Yeah," Ruby chimed in. "I had to look for months before I found a single cat video you would admit was funny, and even then you only chuckled."

"Look you dolts, it's not like….." Weiss's reply was cut off by the sound of knocking on the door, signaling the arrival of pizza. Yang had ordered three: one large Pepperoni for sharing between Weiss, Ruby and Neo, one small vegetarian for Blake, and one large sausage "which I'm happy to share, if any of you girls are thinking about switching" for Yang. Her comment was met in equal parts with groans or firm denials of interest.

The five girls grabbed their food and began eating, talking about their plans for the coming week. Ruby had summer training, while Weiss had a position at some coal company Neo had never heard of. Blake had her work at the clinic and Yang had her job as a trainer at the gym. When the question about what her job was came to Neo, she had simply shrugged and said "people watching," earning her curious glances from Ruby and Weiss and shrugs from Blake and Yang in response.

All too soon, however, the food was gone and it had come to what Neo considered the worst part of the night: the question hour.

Weiss started it off "So Neo, Blake tells me you have been living here for almost two years now. When did you actually move in here?"

"May 13th, 2013. It was a Monday" was Neo's instant reply.

 _To her, it felt like a lifetime ago. The Saturday prior, she had gotten hit by a car while crossing the street at night. The driver had been trying to run a red light, but thankfully Neo barely got clipped and was more stunned then hurt. She had stood up clutching her arm, which she had thought was broken, muttering "I feel like I just got hit by a car." Turning to said car, as well as the now confused and horrified driver, she approached the open window and continued "Oh I did. It was your car. It hurt. A LOT." As she said this, the stranger had gotten out of his car and was walking toward her. Just before he reached her, he drew a knife out of his pocket and slashed at her face. Neo's arm, which conveniently wasn't actually broken, reached out and stopped his arm from completing the motion. Her other arm grabbed his hand and shoved the knife into his chest, piercing his heart and killing him instantly._

 _Well that was easy,_ Neo thought to herself _. I'd always thought killing people would be hard, but that was easy. As easy as walking down the street. Easier, actually, since my arm may not be broken but it still fucking hurts._

 _Neo quickly realized, however, that she had a far larger issue. Namely a now dead body and no way of disposing of it safely. Resigning herself to a large amount of pain in the near future, she called Cinder Fall, one of the most notorious criminals in the city and her former employer until a week ago. After both she and the body were collected, before which the collector made a quick telephone call, she was brought to an empty warehouse on the east side of Vale. Waiting for her was none other than Cinder herself. Carrying a briefcase._

" _Congratulations, here's the pay." Cinder had said, handing Neo a briefcase full of what appeared to be a large amount of cash. After doing some quick mental math, Neo decided it was probably close to $100,000, way more money than Neo had ever seen in her entire life._

" _For what?" She had asked, still in shock over the whole incident._

" _For the price on his head" Cinder had said, gesturing to the corpse now being dumped into a container filled with some sort of acid, judging by the smell. "What, you mean you didn't know. That's rich."_

" _Wait, you can get paid this much for killing people," Neo asked, not quite believing she was being rewarded for her random act of violence._

" _All the time Neo, people always need killing and others are willing to pay. You ever need more money, come see me again. I normally have someone I want dead."_

 _Without another word, Cinder turned and left. The driver had offered to take Neo anywhere, and she had asked to go to the best apartment complex in the city. I need to find a place to live, Neo had thought, a place to lay low for a while. Upon entering, her hopes were quickly dashed by the manager telling her they had no available rooms. "But," he had said "we have one client whose contract is up on Monday and they can't afford to renew. It's a nice two bedroom, and they live there alone. You may want to talk to them"_

 _Directing her to head to the 4_ _th_ _floor, room 403, Neo had stepped off the elevator and knocked on the door. The last thing she had expected, however, was for Blake Belladonna of all people to answer the door. The girl was about half a foot taller than Neo, with yellow eyes and black hair down to her shoulders. Since it was 7am on a Sunday morning, she was clad in a black nightgown and slippers with cats on the front. It was not how Neo had expected she would meet one of the most notorious criminals in Vale city._

" _Yes," she had asked, as Neo continued to stare at her blankly, still not believing who she was seeing. Adam Taurus's favorite pet and thief, a rising star in Vale's underworld, was still alive. No one has seen Blake Belladonna in years. As far as Neo knew, Blake was trying to steal something from a rival gang when the building she was in had caught fire. The gang had apparently been cooking meth, based on how fast the fire had spread, consuming the building in less than a minute. By the time it had been put out, over 20 burned corpses had been removed from the wreckage. At least three of the female corpses had been burned beyond recognition: so everyone had assumed Blake had either died in the fire, or had taken her chance and fled as far away as possible. Yet here she was, staring at Neo._

" _Ummmmmmmm, the apartment," Neo muttered, her mind still reeling from shock_

" _I'm not moving out till tomorrow." Blake said, making as if to close the door….._

" _No wait, wait," Neo pleaded. "I heard you were looking for a roommate?"_

" _I am, but I'm several months behind on rent. So unless you are willing to pay half a year's worth of rent to placate the manager, I'm moving out tomorrow. And someone else already reserved this place" Blake said, once again making to close the door._

" _How much?" Neo asked. She figured that as long as she could afford it, she could do far worse for a roommate then Blake Belladonna. She hid herself successfully for at least a year, so this place is about as safe as it can get. Perfect spot to lay low._

" _Look kid, I doubt you can afford it." Blake responded_

" _How. Much?" Neo repeated slowly._

" _10,000" was Blake's simple response._

 _Neo quickly got out the briefcase, and counted out the money. She handed it to Blake, saying "Here" and walked into the apartment without another word. Blake meanwhile just stared at the cash in her hands, not quite believing what just happened. Finally she turned around and walked back inside, locking the door behind her and approaching her new roommate._

" _Where do I sleep?" was Neo's only question._

" _Let me show you," Blake said, leading Neo through the kitchen and to a short hallway on the right. The hallway contained four doors, two on the left and two on the right. Blake opened the one on the left farther from the kitchen, showing Neo in._

 _The room was a bit on the small side, but Neo instantly loved it for three important reasons. First off, the window lead to a fire escape, ensuring she had a way out if necessary. Second, the room contained a desk with several large drawers and a large dresser, so she had more than enough space to store her few belongings. And finally, it had a bed. A real bed, Neo thought, not a dingy old mattress on the floor._

" _Here's the other key," Blake said, handing Neo a small brass key._

" _Thank you. I will be back with my stuff tomorrow." Was Neo's reply, leaving the apartment without another word._

"Yeah, it was a weird first meeting. Though her first meeting with Yang went far better." Blake said

"Uggghhhhhh, please don't bring that up," Neo pleaded, wishing she could forget the incident.

"Aw cmon, it wasn't that bad." Yang replied sarcastically

'You threw Blake's bra on top of my head." Neo screeched, doing her best to blot out the memories of that particular event as her face was enveloped in a blush. She had come back to the apartment as Blake and Yang were having a make-out session on the couch. The clothes had started flying as she walked through the front door. At the time it had been a shock to her, but she had quickly gotten used to it. Blake and Yang were rather obvious about their relationship, so Neo often found clothes strewn around the apartment.

"You liked it and you know it" was Yang's only comment. Meanwhile, Ruby was struggling to keep up with Neo's constantly shifting mood and Weiss was openly laughing at the look on Neo's face. Apparently her blushing face was even more entertaining to the icy girl then her exasperated face had been.

"Neo, you moved in then immediately disappeared for almost a month. Yang and I had the place to ourselves. What else were we supposed to do? Besides, it wasn't like we were actually going to have sex on the couch." Blake replied.

"Not yet anyway," Yang muttered.

"Wait, is that why you guys keep changing couches?" Weiss asked, dreading the answer she already knew

"Every time Neo discovers we have been…..intimate on the couch, she has us burn it before she buys a new one." Blake explains, hiding her face in her hands in embarrassment. Weiss groaned as the proud smirk that appeared on Yang's face. Ruby, apparently used to hearing such things about her sister, ignored Blake entirely.

"So Neo, what were you doing for that entire month?" Ruby asked, wondering why someone would rent an apartment then not use it.

"I was away, on business. It was a training program" was Neo's vague reply.

 _Contrary to popular belief, Neo was not a natural born killer. For the month after her first kill, she had rented out a small abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. She had purchased a variety of knives, ranging from a smaller one that could be hidden in her sleeve or tape to her leg to a small machete. From one of her old acquaintances she bought two small nose revolvers and a 9mm pistol, along with enough ammunition to kill a small army. She set up a variety of targets, plastic mannequins and other objects with which to practice on. Then, resigning herself to sleeping on a mattress on the floor once again, she moved into the warehouse._

 _There, isolated from everyone, she had honed her skills. From when she awoke to around 5pm, she practiced the techniques of murder. Repeating slashes to the throat, heart, vital tendons and other weak spots for hours on end. Practicing drawing and slashing a knife in one smooth, continuous motion. Firing endless rounds at a variety of targets from different distances and angles. It was tedious work, but necessary._

 _By the end of the third day, she had abandoned guns entirely in favor of knives. Her aim had been terrible from the start, and even after close to 30 hours of practice it had barely improved. That and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop her hands from shaking whenever she held onto a gun. I wonder why that is, it's not like I have gotten shot before or something Neo thought to herself. Deciding it just wasn't meant to be, she moved on to other methods._

 _Knives, on the other hand, she seemed to have a knack for. After a few days of practice with her slashing technique she started practicing how to throw knives at targets from a distance, something she could do with a high degree of accuracy. That and her body was naturally slim, and coupled with her half-starved figure, she was able to hide at least six knives on her person at once without anyone noticing. At night she had put this theory to the test, wandering the streets of Vale while carrying her concealed objects. No one had even looked at her twice. She repeated her training program, practice strikes at day and concealment practice at night, every day without rest. By the second week, she was practicing her aim while moving, throwing knives at targets while sprinting around the abandoned warehouse._

 _By the end of the first month, Neo felt she was ready. She could draw any of her hidden knives in less than a second, and had almost gotten down drawing multiple knives with each hand. Her aim with throwing knives was decent, and she could hit a prone target at a full sprint more often than not. Her slashing speed was vastly improved, though she was still lacking in the power department. She had never had much muscle, and her body was further weakened from years of not eating enough. On the other hand, what little extra weight she did have was all muscle, but she wasn't sure if it would be enough. Time to find out._

 _So a few nights later Neo took her favorite knives, sold the guns back along with any remaining ammo, and burned everything else. From there she went to see Cinder, hoping to make good on her offer. The woman had offered several contracts, ranging from $1000 to $1.5 million. Neo took the three cheapest, two drug dealers who had stolen from their suppliers and a drug addict who refused to pay, and left. No matter how good she was at stabbing plastic mannequins to death, real people were going to be far harder. Welp, Neo thought, it's time to prove that practice makes perfect._

 _Several hours of searching later, Neo stumbled on her first client leaving a bar, piss drunk. She had followed him into a side alley, waiting until he had started relieving himself onto a well-used piece of brick wall. Stepping up behind him, she drove one of her knives into his back, directly in line with his heart._

 _Unfortunately for her, what her strike had in precision it lacked in power, just as she had feared. She hadn't taken into account the thickness of the back muscles, so her knife went in but not deep enough. The drunk, sobering up at the flash of pain, whirled to find an 18 year old girl with a second knife in her hand, advancing on him with murder in her eyes. He tried to run, but stumbled, falling to the ground._

 _Neo was on him in a flash, stabbing her knife into his throat and ripping it to one side in a messy arc.. She expected that to be enough to finish him off, but he still struggled weakly for close to a minute, his neck wound bleeding onto Neo's hands. People sure do bleed a lot Neo thought as she watched him die. When he had finally stopped struggling, she called the number Cinder had given her to arrange a disposal._

 _Neo spent the rest of the night tracking down and eliminating her other targets, each time attempting a frontal confrontation to avoid another unsuccessful first strike. For once, her size and stature worked in her favor. No one suspected an 18 year old girl under five feet tall to be any threat, so she was able to approach her targets without drawing any suspicion. From there, it was a quick slash to the throat and they dropped to the ground, landing with a thud. Both times Neo had watched the target's death throes with casual disinterest, avoiding any flailing limbs as their lifeblood fled their bodies. All in all, she had made close to 2000 dollars after Cinder took her retrieval and disposal fees out of the total payment._

 _It had been a successful beginning for a career as a contract assassin._

"So, they have training programs for people watching? Did you watch them upside down or something?" Ruby asked, still confused.

"No, just through binoculars and eventually a telescope" was Neo's reply, her voice as serious as a doctor telling a patient they had inoperable liver cancer.

"Really?" Ruby asked, a look of utter belief on her face

"Ruby, it was a joke" Weiss told her, though she was not entirely certain. Neo's grave reply had her half convinced that she was being serious

Neo said nothing, but calmly sipped at her soda. After discovering the carbonated beverage several months ago, she couldn't get enough of the stuff. Blake always made sure to keep multiple bottles in supply, since Neo could go through a gallon of the stuff before lunch.

Meanwhile, Blake and Yang were sharing a look. They knew what Neo meant, but they knew that they couldn't tell Weiss and Ruby. Not now, maybe not ever. They wouldn't understand. Deciding to direct the conversation to safer areas, Yang decided it was time to embarrass Weiss.

"So ice princess, how's my sis's new bed? Comfy enough for your high society standards?" Yang asked, earning the desired blushes from both Weiss and Ruby. Despite how she phrased her question, both girls knew exactly what she was getting at.

"She sleeps like a rock, especially when we're spooning," was Ruby's careful reply. "Though, she occasionally snores. It's the cutest thing ever."

"RUBY, you dolt. I told you to never tell anyone about that." Weiss screeched, rounding on her partner as a blush formed on her face. "No cookies for a month"

"Weiss, anything but that" Ruby begged, breaking out her strongest weapon to convince her girlfriend to relent. The threat of a month long ban on cookies made her desperate enough to use it. Her eyes grew wide and pleading as she adopted the trademark "Ruby puppy-dog pout." Weiss, unable to ever say no to that face, relented almost immediately with only token protest.

Neo watched the two of them with interest, before asking "Ruby, how long have you and Weiss been dating?"

"Weiss and I have been dating for close to four years now." Ruby replied, her face back to normal as she was no longer in danger of going through cookie withdrawal. She had assumed that Yang had told Neo about her and Weiss's relationship, but obviously she was wrong.

"She moved in a year later, though it took a while to get used to the sleeping arrangements. And sometimes she's still hazardous to my health." At Neo's confused look, Ruby continued "She cuddles a little _too_ hard at times. And getting her to let go in the mornings is impossible."

"Oh, so like when I sleep with Blake or Yang" Neo replied without thinking. It took a few seconds for her words to sink in, but the room went deathly quiet as everyone realized what she had said. Weiss looked somewhere between shocked and disturbed, while Ruby was sure she had mis-heard what Neo said. Yang looked like she was on the verge of panic, while Blake was glaring at Neo.

Neo, seeing said glare from Blake, misunderstood and tried to explain. "Blake, Yang and I aren't dating like you and Weiss. But occasionally we sleep together."

"You WHAT?" Weiss screamed, whirling on Blake and Yang. Both of whom were busy groaning and burying their faces in their hands at what Neo had said. "How could you two?"

"Weiss, it's not like that!" Blake hastily replied, trying to calm down the situation.

"Has sex really gotten so boring that you two have to bring in another person just to spice things up?" Weiss shouted, completely ignoring Blake's protest. As she said this Ruby was staring at her sister with a mixture of incredulity and disappointment.

"Wow Weiss, someone has her mind in the gutter. Do you really think Blake would agree to something like that?" Yang said, fixing Weiss with a glare.

Neo, who had been silent after her previous mishaps, looked directly at Weiss and calmly said "I'm not having sex with either of them." _Not yet anyway._

Blake sensed that Weiss's conviction was wavering, and said. "We only cuddle, ice princess. That's it. Neo likes it, and so do Yang and I. We aren't sleeping with her." Blake finished. _Not yet anyway,_ she thought _. But based on what happened earlier today that might not be true for much longer._

Weiss looked between the three of them, staring intently at their faces to find some hint of a lie. Discovering none her face grew apologetic as she said "Ok. I'm sorry. I guess I overreacted." She looked at Ruby, her girlfriend still glaring at her. Weiss looked at Neo and said "I'm sorry I accused you of being involved with them." Weiss looked at Ruby again, who after a moment nodded, a small smile on her face.

By this point Neo was desperately trying to keep a straight face and not laugh at how close to correct Weiss actually was. But she managed to stay serious and respond "Apology accepted," with Blake and Yang assuring Weiss of the same right after.

Weiss, assured once more that her friends weren't taking advantage of some poor girl that was two years younger than either of them, relaxed back onto the couch. _Though since I'm sleeping with Ruby, I guess I'm guilty of the same thing_ Weiss thought _. But Blake and Yang are dating, and knowing the both of them, there is no way they would be willing to share._

After that incident Neo decided it would be better if she stayed silent for a while and just listen as her girlfriends and their friends caught up some more. For the next half hour or so she learned a variety of random facts about the four. Apparently Weiss had a talent for singing, and after hearing a small demonstration Neo couldn't help but agree. Ruby on the other hand was apparently a decent chef, her favorite foods anything involving chocolate or caffeine. Or both. She had already known Blake was writing a book in her free time, but had no idea that Yang was saving up money for a motorcycle. She committed that last detail to memory, along with all the information Yang mentioned about the bike itself. _I'm buying her that bike for her birthday, whether she likes it or not._ Neo thought.

Around 10pm Weiss looked at the clock and realized how late it had gotten. "Sorry, but Ruby and I need to go, she has practice early tomorrow and Summer has a doctor's appointment I need to bring her to at 7."

"Ok, say hi to her for me, tell her we will be by soon. And we WILL bring Neo this time" Yang replied, getting up to hug both Weiss and Ruby before heading to the bathroom to get ready for bed herself.

Ruby wrapped Blake in a hug before doing the same to Neo and muttering "It was nice to finally meet you, we should hang out sometime. We could go shopping! And I'm sorry about Weiss, she tends to overreact a little."

"I don't think Neo share's your fashion sense Ruby" Blake said, knowing that in reality Neo hated shopping enough that she would never go willingly. She hated crowded areas, especially malls. If she ever needed anything, she ordered it online.

Giving Weiss a brief hug, she walked the two girls to the door, holding it open for them. After one more goodbye from each girl, she shut and locked the door. _Well, time to have a talk with Neo,_ she thought. Seeing that the younger girl was clearing away the remnants of dinner, she decided to help her. They would talk as they worked.

"Neo, why did you talk about sleeping arrangements with Weiss?" Blake asked, trying to understand why the younger girl had thought it wise to bring up their relationship?

"Was I not supposed to?" Neo asked, a confused look on her face.

"Not really, but Yang and I didn't think you needed to be told that. Our relationship isn't exactly normal. You do realize that, right?"

 _No,_ Neo thought, _I don't_. But she nodded, and satisfied Blake placed the rest of the plates in the dishwasher. Satisfied that everything was clean, she wandered off to brush her teeth in preparation for bed. Neo, however, simply stood in the middle of the kitchen, reflecting on what had just occurred.

 _Is it not normal to be involved with two other girls? Or is it not normal to be with two girls that are older than you? Or is it just not normal for girls to be in a relationship?_ Realizing that she didn't know the answer, Neo walked over to the bathroom, intending to ask Blake or Yang. Just before she got there, however, she changed her mind.

 _There's no point in asking them,_ she realized. _They won't understand why I don't get it. Why all of this relationship stuff is so difficult for me._ She wandered into the bedroom, and sat down on the bed, pulling her pillow to her body. She was worried about how they would react to what she was about to do, about to tell them. _What if they hate me, what if they kick me out?_ With such thoughts running through her head, she hugged the pillow tighter, trying to force herself to calm down.

Once Blake and Yang came in, they looked at her before Yang asked "Is something wrong? You don't look so good."

Neo took a breath before answering, trying to pull herself herself, she looked at both girls before saying "You two need to know my childhood."

* * *

 _Well here it is, backstory part 1. More stuff is coming up next chapter, mainly detailing her time pre-apartment living. Roman is finally going to make an appearance next chapter, YAY._

 _Feedback is always appreciated, good, bad or anything in between. Hope you guys enjoyed!_


	4. Black Nights and the Gray of Dawn

_So first off, I have made several changes to earlier paragraphs. I hope to avoid having to do that in the future, so people don't have to go back and re-read stuff. It was mostly minor alterations, making sentences flow better and such. Main change was characters ages, making them all older. See chapter 1 for updated ages_

 _Sorry this chapter took so long to get out, and I will probably have to make minor grammar changes tomorrow. Just didn't want to keep you guys waiting._

 _Second, again thank you to everyone who is supporting this fic. Hope to not let you down!_

 _Third: trigger warnings: violence and abuse_

 _Finally, to Neo: I am so sorry_

 _Cover art commissioned and completed by jo3mm. You can find them on tumbler, under the same name._

Neo, Blake and Yang were sprawled out on the queen sized bed in Blake's room, each lost in their own thoughts. Blake and Yang were staring at Neo, who after offering to explain about her beginnings, had begged for a few moments to think before falling silent. That was half an hour ago, and both girls were growing impatient. But they knew better than to push the shorter girl.

Neo, on the other hand, was struggling with how to start telling her story. Her mind kept wandering, and she found focusing on any one topic hard. _I never brushed my teeth, my breath probably stinks_ , she realized, _I hope they don't mind._ Shaking her head to dispel the unwanted thoughts, she looked at both girls before asking "How should I start?"

Blake took a moment to find her voice before responding "Start at the beginning. What's the first thing you remember?" As she asked this, she and Yang both sat themselves up, their full attention now focused on Neo.

Neo leaned back against the headboard, a sigh escaping her lips. Focusing her gaze on the girls now sitting in front of her, she noted that they were both hanging on her every word. _They are not going to like this, Neo thought, but neither will I. But they need to know._

"Before I begin," Neo said, "I ask that you don't stop me once I start. I will answer any questions you have at the end, no matter what they are. I promise. But until I tell you I'm done, don't ask any questions, don't interrupt me, don't even touch me. These memories are painful to think about, and I don't want to lash out at either of you accidently."

Neo's voice was grave, flat, and emotionless. Her seriousness was obvious in the hard lines of her face, in the tightness of her expression. The atmosphere had the proper tone for such a painful topic, at least until Blake shot up and sprinted into the bathroom, slamming the door shut. She emerged a minute later, her face apologetic. Yang looked at Neo, her face a mixture of surprise and fury, before turning to Blake and saying "Looks like urine trouble Blake." Blake's response was to smash Yang in her face with a pillow.

Neo, her patience gone, glared at both girls and asked "Are you done?" The unspoken threat in her voice was enough to quell the antics immediately, and they resumed quietly sitting. Neo continued to glare at them. "Can I start my story now?"

Seeing both girls nod, Neo drew another breath and calmed herself back down. She looked toward the wall and began her story. "My first memory is of an orphanage. It was an old brick building, run by the Catholic Church. They would take in young children, only under 5. Those whose parents died, or no longer wanted the responsibility of raising a child. Sometimes babies were abandoned on their doorstep. I was told that I was one such case, that my mother had left me there as soon as I was born. No identification, not even a birth certificate so I wasn't born in a hospital. Just a note with three simple letters, NEO. "

Neo took a calming breath, pausing for a moment. Her eyes had taken on a glazed expression, and her gaze had wandered over to the window on the far wall. But she saw nothing, her mind lost in memory.

"The only adults that were ever allowed there were nuns, the priest and any parents looking to adopt kids. Any time a potential adoptee walked in, we were lined up in the waiting room for their inspection. People came in every few months, but no one ever showed any interest in me. So for the most part the only adults in my life were old, traditional and strict. They fed us and provided a roof over our heads, but little else. Most of us were treated with some degree of compassion. I, however, was not one of the lucky ones. Most of them were either afraid of me or despised me. Because of my eyes."

At this point Neo took a moment to fix Blake and Yang with her gaze. They were understandably confused until Neo shifted her eye color from her traditional brown to pink, then to white before going back to brown. Blake and Yang had grown used to Neo's eyes staying as a constant shade of brown most of the time, so they had half-forgotten her eyes could shift color. Returning her gaze to the window, Neo visibly shuddered before continuing.

"Back then, I had little control over the shifting. It would happen all the time, without warning. Though I never heard it to my face, most of the nuns called me "freak, devil child, or monster." The other children ignored me or bullied me, so for the most part my time there was spent in isolation. I had no friends, Ihe bible and other books the orphanage had were my only companions. When I was 10, however, everything changed. One day a man visited the orphanage, a man by the name of Roman Torchwick."

Neo could still remember the first time she had seen Roman with perfect clarity. He was a tall man, with carrot orange hair and green eyes. Wearing an expensive suit and walking with a cane, he projected an aura of wealth and importance. He ordered everyone around like he owned the place, demanding this or that. And no one dared to tell him no.

"He was the first adult to visit in over a year, and like every other time we were lined up, waiting for his inspection. This time was a bit different however. Instead of asking any questions, he showed us a simple trick with a coin. He flicked it over his fingers, from index to pinky then back again. Then he told each child under 10 to repeat his trick. No one was able to, though I and three others came close. After testing everyone, Roman spoke briefly with one of the nuns before leaving. He returned the next day and "adopted" me and other three. I didn't find out till later, but the church had financial issues. Roman paid their bills, in exchange for them looking the other way and allowing a suspected criminal to take possession of four little kids."

"From there, he brought us to a warehouse, where about 100 children age 10 or under were gathered. We were one of the last groups to arrive, and once we were all there Roman explained why he had taken us. We were going to work for him, as pickpockets, lookouts, whatever was necessary."

 _Neo paused for a second, losing herself in the memory of that day. It was the first time she had felt true fear, the first time in her life she was afraid of dying. Roman had addressed the group, who were surrounded by his enforcers. The men, large and imposing, stared at the children as if they were worth less than the dirt beneath their feet. Roman, meanwhile, had stood above them, as he began to talk. His voice was uncaring, his words cold. "I have brought you all here because you have shown talent in the fine arts of criminality. So from now on you work for me. I say, you do. If you don't, or try to leave, well…."_

 _As Roman trailed off, a side door opened and what could only be described as a mangled corpse was dragged into the room. It was the body of a 14 year old boy, who had one point might have been attractive, but his face was beaten so badly it was hard to tell. His arms and legs were covered in cuts, some deep and still bleeding. A low moan escaped his mouth, followed by what sounded like "please." Neo felt bile rise in her mouth, and had to force herself to not vomit at the sight. Others were unable to control themselves, and the sounds of regurgitation filled the warehouse._

" _This is what happened to the last person that tried to run away." Roman stated. He took a gun out of his pocket, and fired the entire clip into the beaten boy's chest. "If you try the same, this is what will happen to you. So remember, you are replaceable." As he said this, he never spared the corpse another glance, and it was dragged out without a word. Roman's expression never changed. To him it wasn't a person's life he had just ended. It was an object, a thing that had stopped functioning properly. And he threw it away like trash._

Deciding it was better to not tell Blake and Yang that particular memory, Neo took a breath before continuing. Unbeknownst to her, however, a single tear had trailed down her cheek. Blake and Yang took note of it, but decided it was best to let Neo continue.

"The first few months, we all slept in that warehouse. The conditions were filthy, but thankfully not cramped. I think it was an old factory. The floors were covered in old scrape marks, like machinery had been moved from there at some point, and the walls were old rusted metal. At first I was afraid the building was going to fall down, that or the roof was going to collapse on top of us. The roof was covered in holes, and when it rained you had to avoid those spots or get drenched. Luckily it was a huge space, because there was more than enough space for all of us. But that was all we had, empty space. There were a handful of beds, and fights broke out over who got to sleep on them every day. Everyone else slept on the floor, or whatever we could find to sleep on. Mostly cardboard boxes or newspapers. Luckily it was summer, because we had no blankets or changes of clothing. Food was in short supply, and most nights everyone went to sleep hungry. Thankfully there was plenty of water, along with a shower and bathroom system off to one side. Cold water only. I don't know how or why it was still working, but it was, and it was clean."

"Friends were in short supply, but most everyone knew someone there from their old life. I had no one, and I viewed friends as a liability, as a weakness. Almost no one wanted to talk to me, and I ignored the few that tried. By the end of the first week, no one tried again. I slept in the corner, away from everyone else. It was…. easier that way. Roman kept a watch on us 24-7 to ensure none of us tried to run away or injured each other. His enforcers doubled as trainers. They weren't allowed to beat us, not yet anyway, but if we disobeyed them we didn't get to eat. After a few days, no one even tried to rebel. We were too hungry."

"The training consisted of a series of mannequins with bells tied all around them. There were 12, arranged in a line. Each mannequin was dressed in different clothing, and a wallet was hidden in a random pocket. The training was to walk past the mannequins, going down the line, and steal the wallets without making a sound. If you disturbed the mannequins, the bells jingled and that means you failed and had to start over. We went one at a time, day in and day out. The only way you could stop was if you managed to steal all 12 wallets in one go without making a sound. We practiced from the time we woke up until we were told to go to bed, every day. If you couldn't properly steal at least one, you didn't get to eat."

"Those first few nights were the worst. No one was able to steal a wallet, so no one got any food. The sounds of crying and growling stomachs filled the warehouse. It was the first time I had ever gone without eating for more than a day, and it made things difficult. It sometimes took hours before my stomach would quiet enough that I could manage to fall asleep, and I felt myself growing weaker by the day. Luckily I was rather good at stealing things, and by the end of the third day I had managed to snag a wallet. That night I and three others got food, and everyone else was forced to watch us eat it. It was some sort of tomato soup, the supermarket kind. It was the most delicious thing I had ever eaten in my life, at that point at least. I think Blake's breakfast holds that award at this point. By the end of that week, everyone had succeeded at least once."

Neo took a moment to collect her thoughts, continuing to stare out the window for a second before looking at Blake and Yang. Their gazes were focused on hers and they were hanging on her every word. Waiting patiently for her to continue. Neo moved her gaze to the ceiling, and continued her story. Her voice took on a sadder tone, as her thoughts turned to darker times.

"By the end of the third month, I think around 10 of us had stolen all 12 wallets properly. As soon as someone succeeded, they were taken to a different location and we didn't see them again. It turned out to be a similar warehouse in a different location. When I was brought there, about 50 people were there already. The youngest was the last kid taken before me, the oldest looked to be about 16. The only adults were Roman's enforcers, and the security there was far stricter than the old location. I found out later that Roman used that place as storage for his stolen goods, which explained the heavier security."

"The set-up in the warehouse was basically the same, though this one was slightly nicer. For one thing everyone had a mattress to sleep on, though most of them were ratty and stained. But after sleeping on a concrete floor it felt like a cloud. The other major change was that we were fed regularly. It still wasn't enough, but it was better than a can of soup twice a day. The roof didn't have any holes, though we did have a rat problem at one point. But someone ate them, I think, because one day they were gone."

As Neo said this, Blake and Yang shuddered and felt bile rising in their throats at the thought of someone eating rats. It was a level of desperation that either girl had ever experienced, and it was a disturbing idea that Neo might have been forced to do it at some point. Though part of Yang's mind, obviously the most fucked up part, was wondering if they tasted like chicken. Deciding it was better to not ask, both girls returned their attention to Neo.

"Once there, we were actually put to work. We were assigned a section of the city, and spent our days there pickpocketing. We were told to empty each wallet of cash, then dump it in a trash can. In most cases, credit cards were useless since the second people realized they were gone they just canceled them and they could be traced much more easily. At the end of each week, by sundown on Saturday, we had to have a certain amount of cash, otherwise we got punished. At first though the amounts we needed were small, around 100$ or so. So it wasn't a real issue."

"In the beginning, my days were filled with stealing from people, and spending my time watching for opportunities to steal. In most cases, I ended the week with more than I needed, so I had some money to spend on whatever I wanted. It wasn't like a normal job, we only got time off if we had stolen the weeks' pay and could afford to be lazy. Normally by Friday I had gotten enough, so I spent Saturday buying what I could afford and doing whatever I could do for free. I mostly bought food, and clothing once it started getting colder. They didn't bother supplying us with anything, so if we needed it we had to buy it or steal it. The rest of my time was spent in parks in the summer, or the library in the winter. It was always warm, and as long as none of the staff caught me I could stick around for hours."

"We had a curfew, we had to be back by 8. If we were caught out after, well we got beaten if we were lucky. Sometimes it was severe enough that they killed the offender, but in most cases it was just bruising. And every night Roman had a certain ritual. He would offer everyone a stick, the kind you see on lollipops. Except only one stick actually had a lollipop, the rest were bare. If you picked that particular stick with the candy, Roman beat you personally. He did it to ensure we knew who was in control, and because he enjoyed it."

"I had been there about a month when my luck finally turned bad and I picked the cursed stick. Immediately, two of Romans thugs each grabbed one of my arms, holding me in place. They held on tighter than necessary, to ensure that I could barely move. Then Roman started in on me, pummeling me in the stomach over and over. It was the first time I had been punched, at least with the intent to really inflict pain. It hurt more than I could have possibly imagined at the time. I felt the wind knocked out of me, since I hadn't yet learned how to properly tense up and relax before each blow. He did it wordlessly, the only sounds being his grunts of exertion and my cries of pain. Normally it would have continued for a few minutes and that would have been that. Unfortunately, that day I had stolen a $100 bill and had celebrated by buying a massive lunch. I tried to hold it in, but I couldn't, and I puked it up all over his shoes. That was a mistake."

Neo's eyes turned darker as she said this, filled with anger and pain from memories of those horrible times. The fact that someone got beaten every night, even if they had done nothing wrong was bad enough. But Roman made it worse in a way by giving them a lollipop. It made her feel like a child, who had done something good by allowing themselves to get beaten and not fight back. Her eyes filled with tears as she remembered what happened next.

"Roman didn't react for a moment, since that had never happened before. Then he grabbed his cane and started beating me with it. Normally he avoided the face, since bruises on the face were noticeable and people could start asking annoying questions. But he was too angry to care at that point. He smacked me everywhere, he hit me so hard that his cane eventually snapped in half. By the time that happened I had long since stopped feeling the blows, my body had shut down from the pain. But I was still awake, and I heard him tell his thugs to release me. I collapsed to the ground, and he turned me on my back and shoved his foot to my throat. Then, he started talking. He called me useless, filthy, a piece of trash abandoned by their parents. He said that no one had ever loved me, that no one ever would, and that I was worth less than the dirt on his shoe."

"The worst part was, however, when he started calling me a freak because of my eyes. Apparently at some point, the pain caused one of them to shift from brown to pink. He said it was no wonder I was abandoned, no one would want a disgusting monster like me for a daughter. And the worst part was, I knew that he was right. That my parents had abandoned me, that if anyone at all did care about me I wouldn't be in that situation. That I was utterly alone in the world, and loved by none."

Neo felt herself crying, and based on how wet her face was she had been doing so without noticing for almost a minute. Unable to bear the looks she knew were on Blake's and Yang's faces, she looked down, staring at her own feet. Her shoulders drew forward as her body involuntarily curled in on itself, as she remembered the pain of that initial beating. She dug her nails into her palm, drawing blood, the pain forcing her back into the moment and drying her tears. Getting herself under control, she took a breath and continued, her words growing quieter and filled with suffering as she continued to talk.

"Eventually he stopped, and ordered that no one was to help me before he left. He then told me I owed him twice the weekly amount, and if I didn't pay it he would kill me. If I had had any friends, they might have considered disobeying him. But I had no one, so I was left there. Eventually I made myself get up and dragged myself into the corner where my mattress was located. Luckily I had that week's payment already, and spent the next few days recovering enough that I could walk again. It hurt like hell, but I could walk. I was lucky that nothing was broken, though I definitely had a few cracked ribs and probably a concussion. Some of the worst bruises took a month to heal, breathing hurt for a while and I couldn't eat for a week due to the pain. But I could still function, I could still steal and survive, so it could have been worse. In hindsight, I'm really lucky that I didn't get sick at all back then, except for the occasional cold, since there was no way in hell any of us could have afforded medicine. The next few beatings hurt, but after a while I learned to deal with the pain. And for those that did get sick enough that they could no longer work, or couldn't deal with the pain, Roman threw them out to die."

"So for about a year, that was my life. About once a month I would get another beating, and while it was never that bad again physically, Roman kept talking as he hit me. I was the only one that he insulted, the rest got beaten silently. What he said, what he called me, was worse than any physical pain he could endure. He convinced me that I was somehow less than human, just a thing that existed to make him money. I think he wanted to kill me after I ruined his shoes, and the only reason he kept me around was that I was too useful to discard, since by that point I was bringing in twice as much as anyone else every week."

"As bad as it was, there were some moments of peace. Around my second month, I found a way to the top of the warehouse. At night when everyone was asleep, I would sometimes sneak out and lie on the roof, sometimes for hours. I spent a lot of time looking at the moon, reminding myself that no matter how dark things got there was always light to be found somewhere. It helped me deal with the pain from being beaten, from the fear that I could screw up at any moment and get myself killed."

"A few months after I turned 11, however, things changed. For one, Roman took about 20 of us and reassigned us to some new operations, leaving about 100 or so pickpockets in total in that warehouse. Then he upped the weekly dues to 500, which was double what it had been a week prior. While I was fine, about 30 people were short that week. That's when we were introduced to the punishment list."

"Basically, if you were on the punishment list you were the enforcer's slave. They could tell you to do pretty much anything, and you had to do it. If they wanted to, they could beat you bloody and not get punished. They could kill you, and no one was allowed to protest. They could do almost anything to you, except rape you. Roman may have been a psychopathic asshole, but child molestation was something even he didn't tolerate. One guy tried, and Roman cut his balls off. But besides that, nothing was off limits. Once you were on the list, the only way off was to offer up triple the weekly rate. No one ever managed to buy their way off, and in most cases were dead within a month."

Neo continued to look down as she said this, unwilling to even look at Blake and Yang. She didn't want to see the disgust on their faces, she didn't want to look at them now that they knew what she had done, who she really was, what she had seen and been through.

"For the next four years, living there was like a scene from hell. Every now and then Roman would raise the weekly amount, other times people just had bad luck. Whatever the reason was, at least one person was always on the list. Despite how bad our lives were in general, being on that list was much worse, since it was a literal death sentence. You could hear them crying every night, the fear and pain from the constant beatings enough to reduce them to tears. They knew that they were going to die sooner rather than later, and it was going to hurt. Most of the kids that landed on the list tried running away, since they knew if they stuck around they were dead. Only one succeeded, I think, since the rest were found and brought back. Then Roman had them beaten in front of us by his thugs, till they eventually died. If any of us tried to look away, we were forced to join in on the beating. If anyone refused, they were shot."

"The worst part was that Roman kept up his nightly beatings, but with less of us around we started enduring it more and more often. And every time it was my turn, Roman continued his insults. He never let up, always telling me that my eyes labeled me a monster, a mistake, something that no one would ever love. I was grotesque, an aberration and he made sure I never forgot."

"Around the time I was 16, I decided that I had had enough. There were only 20 of us left, and one week I was short by almost $200. I knew I would die if I went back, so instead I fled. I ran and ran, using taxi's and trains to put me at the other end of the city. From there I spent three days hiding, until I eventually found what I was looking for. I knew the only way I could survive Roman's wrath was by getting protection from someone else. So, eventually I found myself on the doorstep of one Cinder Fall."

"I knew who she was, and I knew what she was going to want from me. Until that point I would have done anything to avoid selling my body, but fear of death made me reevaluate my choices. Eventually I was allowed to see her, and after being searched they blindfolded me and brought me to her office. I was forced on my knees, and left there for almost an hour. I think the point of it was to see how mentally tough I was, if I could stand being kept waiting, not knowing what was going to happen. That or she was just late. I never cared enough to ask."

"She ripped the blindfold off, and asked me what I was doing there. I told her I had run away from Roman, and wanted to work for her."

Neo remembered the conversation like it was yesterday.

 _Cinder Fall, the head of the prostitutes, stood in front of her. Her hair was shoulder length and black, her bangs covering one of her piercing yellow eyes. The woman was clad in a floor length red and gold dress, while her ears were adorned with multiple piercings. Her nails, filed to a point, were colored with a blood red polish, and she had a single platinum ring with an onyx gemstone on the middle finger of her left hand. Remembering that Cinder hated being kept waiting, which was slightly hypocritical of her, Neo decided to keep her answers short._

 _Cinder looked down at Neo like she was a bug, if an interesting bug, before asking "Who are you and what do you want?"_

" _I want to work for you." Was Neo's reply_

 _*Smack*_

 _Cinder's hand connected with Neo's face out of nowhere, the woman moving faster than Neo had thought she was capable of. Cinder said nothing, and when Neo did nothing she smacked her again. Then again_

 _Right before the fourth smack, Neo realized her mistake and said "My name is Neo, and I want to work for you."_

" _Finally. First rule, I ask you answer. Why?"_

" _Because I have nowhere else to go."_

" _What can you do?"_

" _Steal. Survive."_

" _Ever fucked a man"_

" _No"_

" _Who are you running from?"_

" _No one"_

 _*Smack*_

" _Rule two, you lie, you die."_

 _Neo took a moment, before answering "Roman Torchwick"_

 _Based off her reputation, Cinder normally would have had Neo dragged off and disposed of by now. A girl like Neo, with no useful experience in the gentler arts of draining men's wallets was of no use to Cinder, and taking her in would uselessly antagonize a dangerous rival. But something made her hesitate. Maybe it was the fact that Neo had taken those smacks without flinching, or maybe it was the look of utter desperation and despair in Neo's eyes. Whatever it was didn't matter to Neo, as long as she was willing to listen. Cinder continued to look at the girl before her, her eyes inscrutable. After a moment, she seemed to come to a decision. Looking directly at Neo, she made her an offer_

" _Listen kid, I have two choices for you. One, you work in one of my gambling halls. You watch for anyone trying to cheat or steal. Two, you sell your body to the highest bidder. Take option one, you sleep on the floor, eat shit food and could get stabbed at any time. Take option two, you sleep on a cloud, eat like a queen and only get stabbed in one particular place. Pick._

 _Unable to believe her luck, Neo instantly responded with "Option one"_

 _A rare smile graced Cinder's lips, and she murmured "thought so" before turning to leave._

 _Neo, however, had one question burning on her lips. Throwing caution to the wind, she asked Cinder "why?"_

 _Cinder turned and stared at the girl still kneeling in front of her, her eyes wide and unable to believe her good luck. "Cause you're desperate, and desperate people are useful. You're tough, look decently smart and are small enough to easily escape notice. And if it pisses off Roman, well its worth having to deal with his complaining. He knows better than to piss me off."_

"So I worked for her for almost two years. She had me brought to one of her gambling dens, and I lived in the basement, in one of the corners by the furnace. True to her word, I slept on the floor and ate shitty food, though one of the other employees told me it was better than prison food at least. But it was warm, no one beat me, no one bothered me, it was safe. I spent my nights watching the patrons, pointing out the cheaters and thieves to the dens bouncers, who then took care of the issue."

"I spent all my free time at the library a block away, I was afraid that Roman was still looking for me, and I know that if he or his thugs found me alone on the streets I was as good as dead, no matter what Cinder promised. So I stuck close to the gambling den, because I Roman wouldn't risk taking me from one of Cinder's establishments, no matter how much he hated me. He might have succeeded in taking me or killed me, but the backlash would have made him pay dearly for it. I wasn't worth that much grief, so in there I was safe. I learned what I could, about whatever topic could hold my interest long enough. Everything from basic math to 18th century floral arrangements. Reading filled my otherwise boring hours, and helped the days pass quickly. "

"Two years later, right before my 18th birthday, the den was raided by the police and we had to flee. Cinder told me that she had to lay low for a while, and suddenly I was out of a job. Two days of wandering the streets later, I got hit by a car and ended up killing the driver after he tried to kill me. Turns out he had a price on his head, $100,000. That day I changed my profession to killer for hire. That money is what I gave Blake the day I walked into this apartment. And the rest, as you both know, is history."

Neo, finally finished, slowly came back to the present. She was suddenly afraid of what Blake's and Yang's reaction would be. Deciding it was time to face the music, she lifted her head and looked at both girls. What she saw however, was the last thing she expected

They were both silently crying, tears running down their cheeks. Based on the wet spots on their clothing, they had been crying for quite a while. Blake had her hand clamped over her mouth to mute her sobbing, and Yang's hands were clenched so tight her hands had turned white. They saw Neo look up, and Yang managed to ask "Done?"

Wordlessly, Neo nodded. Instantly, both girls grabbed her and hugged her tightly enough to squeeze the breath out of her body. No longer staying silent for her sake, the sounds of their sobbing filling the apartment. Neo, unsure what was going on, tried to pull away, Which only caused Blake to squeeze her even tighter, crushing Neo against her side. Yang let her go and enveloped both her and Blake in her arms, ensuring that Neo had no hope of escape.

Neo was starting to worry, since both girls kept crying with no signs of letting up, or of letting her go anytime soon, or ever again. Unable to wait, she said aloud "Why are you both crying."

Blake managed to choke out a series of sounds that sounded like "love you," but through all her crying it was impossible to tell. Yang managed to control herself long enough to say "we care about you" before the tears resumed falling.

Suddenly it was all too much for Neo. She didn't understand why they still cared, why they could even touch her or look at her after everything she had told them. She started shouting, her voice piercing through the sounds of sobs. "Why do you care, you should hate me. I'm just a freak, a murder who kills people for money. I'm worthless, and a danger to you both. You shouldn't care about a monster like me." By the time she was done she was screaming, her voice filled with pain.

Upon hearing her words, both girls had different reactions. Blake somehow turned Neo around, pulling the back of the younger girl's head into her chest and burying her face in Neo's hair. The sounds of her muffled sobs, louder than ever, filled Neo's ears as she felt Blake's arms tighten around her, sealing her in a loving embrace. She couldn't bear to hear Neo talk about herself like that, to hear the amount of self-loathing Neo had for herself. To hear someone she loved call themselves worthless was almost too painful to bear.

Yang, sensing her chance, grabbed Neo's face as her eyes filled with fresh tears upon hearing Neo's words. She blinked, clearing her vision, and stared straight into Neo's eyes. She looked at Neo, truly looked at her, gazed into the depths of her soul. Yang felt her heart clench in agony at what she saw there: a look of endless despair and crushing self-hatred.

Taking a moment, Yang controlled herself before saying. "Your eyes are beautiful, and we love them. You do matter, you aren't a monster. And we love you. Never doubt that. Never" The entire time she was talking, her eyes never left Neo, forcing the girl to acknowledge her words as completely and utterly true.

Blake, her voice muffled by Neo's hair and her sobbing, added "Never letting you go again, won't let you be alone anymore. Not ever"

Unable to contain herself any longer, Neo felt tears flow down her face, coming out faster and faster. She had been afraid that after hearing her story, Blake and Yang would come to despise her and fear her. That they would realize just how disgusting, how much of a monster she was. She was afraid they were going to kick her out, and she wouldn't have blamed them for it. Instead they cried at her pain and embraced her despite her past. Neo felt all the pain and fear she had built up to that point leave her, replaced by a warmth and sense of comfort, of peace, that she had never before known. Until now she had never known what it felt like to truly feel safe in someone else's presence, to let herself be comforted and held in their arms. For the first time in her life, Neo had chosen to fully trust someone else, to trust the only people that she cared about in this world. She had bared her soul, and the girls could have broken her with a word. But instead they chose to comfort her, to help ease the pain of her existence the only way they knew how: love. They had showered her with love, tried to fill her empty heart with it, and ease the pain of her existence. And at that moment Neo felt something change inside her. She felt the first flames of love burn inside her heart, though at the time she did not, _could not_ , understand what the feeling was or where it came from. But looking back on that moment years later, she knew that was when she had begun to love Blake and Yang.

At that moment, however, all she knew was that she felt safe in their arms. As the night dragged on the sounds of sobbing could be heard throughout the apartment as the three girls cried, losing themselves in the pains of the past and trying to provide comfort in the present. After what felt like an eternity the darkness and black gave rise to the first grays of the dawn and the flood of tears finally ceased. Even though the crying had ceased, the girls held onto each other more tightly than ever, drawing strength from their shared warmth. Blake and Yang knew that their night was far from over, despite the rays of light beginning to shine through the window, but for now they enjoyed the peaceful silence. And together, the three roommates watched the sun rise, their hopes rising like the dawn of a new day.

Blake and Yang looked down at Neo, who had a look on her face more peaceful then any they had ever seen, before saying in unison "We love you."

And although Neo said nothing in her response, the look in her eyes told them more than words ever could.

 _First off, if I haven't made at least one of you cry I have failed as a writer_

 _Second, the flashback stage is almost over. There will be a few more next chapter, then it's back to the plot!_

 _Sorry this took so long to get out, but between graduations and more hours at work I have had little time to myself. And this chapter was harder to write then I expected, I kept changing thing and adding details._

 _Feedback is definitely appreciated, and I will try to respond as fast as possible. Bring me your grammatical errors, your plot holes, your crazed guesses and general thoughts. No matter what they are, anything and everything is welcome._


	5. Questions, Answers AND MORE QUESTIONS

_First off: To everyone who reads, reviews or even gives this a passing glance, thank you for your support. It has been very positive, despite or perhaps because of how dark the last chapter was. Though we haven't even hit the deep end yet. The clouds are parting for now, but the horizon isn't sunny quite yet._

 _Second: Sorry for the delay, but vacation and all that._

 _Third: I don't know how long this is going to be. But between all the fluff I want to do, and the plot I have planned, it's not even close to the end yet. So you have plenty of Blaked Alaska (name thought up by wildivlax [tumbler name])" left to enjoy. Or cry over._

 _Cover art commissioned and completed by jo3mm. You can find them on tumbler, same name_

As the first rays of dawn heralded the start of a new day, Neo Blake and Yang remained huddled together on their shared bed, exhausted but unable to sleep, each for a different reason. Neo was unable to sleep for two reasons, the first being that she was firmly stuck between Blake and Yang, and while not necessarily uncomfortable it was not exactly the most relaxing position. The other reason was a far simpler, yet more complex issue: Neo was happy. For the first time in what felt like forever, she was truly happy. She was not worried about the future, or consumed by the pain of her past. She was firmly entrenched in the moment, and for her at least, it was a moment of pure bliss. She wished it would last forever, but part of her knew that it wouldn't. Because despite how her story had ended last night, she knew that Blake and Yang would still have questions. And she would have to provide answers. But for the moment she was content to just sit in the arms of the only two people on the planet she trusted and cared about. Part of her wished that time could be frozen, so she could forever experience this wonderful feeling.

Blake on the other hand was probably the worst off of the three, as Neo's story was far too similar to her own, yet at the same time strikingly different. For one thing, Blake knew and remembered her parents, and she had photographs to remind her whenever her memory started to wane. She could still remember pieces of her childhood: the smell and taste of her mother's cooking, the gentleness of her father's arms as he picked her up and spun her around. Her body could still recall the softness and safety of her childhood bed as she had slept peacefully, protected by her small army of cat toys. She could still remember the night she had her first nightmare. She had run into her parent's room, crying and screaming about monsters that only children could fear and they had spent the night holding her, similar to how Blake and Yang were now holding Neo.

Unfortunately, fate happened in the form of a drunk driver, and Blake had lost both her parents at the tender age of 9. The small consolation was that they had died instantly; the driver that hit them having painfully bled out. Blake had few relatives, and they had no desire to take care of her. So her inheritance, what was left after funeral costs, was put in a trust and she was put into foster care. She had fled within a year, unable to stand the abusive household she had been put in any longer. That was when she was recruited by the White Fang.

Her life with the White Fang was hard, but it was heaven compared to the hell that Neo had endured. Blake was punished if she failed, but that was it. No random beatings, no threats of death or torture. She was fed, clothed, and had a place to sleep that wasn't on the floor. She had friends, colleagues, and Adam Taurus, a partner she could trust her life with. Even after she had run away from the gang, she looked back on her time with the White Fang as an overall positive point in her life. It had helped her become the person she was now.

As her thoughts drifted to the past, her arms had unconsciously pulled Neo into an even tighter embrace, her back against Blake's chest. Blake was trying to make up for the lack of affection, warmth and love that Neo's first 20 years of life had lacked. She felt guilty for not noticing this sooner, for not seeing the darkness that Neo carried around for what it really was. For not realizing the depth of pain and despair in the younger girl's eyes, the damage that had been done to her. _I should have done something sooner, Blake thought, should have gotten her to talk earlier. I could have understood, helped her. Why didn't she talk to us?_

As Blake was consumed by thoughts of guilt and the past, Yang's mind was stuck in a similar situation, though for far different reasons. Out of the three girls, Yang probably had the most "normal" childhood. Abandoned by her mother, she was raised by a strong but kind father, who did the best he could despite the circumstances. So Yang was wondering exactly how much of a childhood Neo had missed out. _Has she ever seen a Disney movie? Does she even know what Disney is? Did she ever have any toys? Christ, we need to make a list._

Another part of Yang was wondering what questions she needed to ask Neo, and how to go about asking them. Because while her story cleared up much of Yang's confusion, there were still things she was confused about. _Like why she left that head in the cooler that one time: was it intentional, a way or telling Blake and I what her job was? Or was she really just "sleepy" and forgot about it. And she still has some issue, something affecting her now that she didn't mention._ Yang needed answers, and one way or another Neo was going to tell her.

A third part of Yang, more specifically her stomach, was hungry and thirsty. Spending half the night crying would leave anyone dehydrated and starving. Feeling like it was being ignored, said stomach decided it was time to remind everyone of its existence and let forth a growl that an alpha lion would be terrified of. Yang instantly broke out in a blush, while Neo started giggling and Blake shot Yang a glare of both anger and embarrassment. Yang got off the bed, muttered something about coffee, and made to leave the room. Neo tried to join her, wanting breakfast, but Blake held onto her tightly, refusing to let her go or even move.

 _Poor Neo,_ Yang thought as she turned to look at the two girls still on the bed, _if Blake's face is any indication, she isn't going to let her go anytime soon._ Yang normally loved how possessive Blake was, but in this particular case it could cause problems. Given how similar, and yet completely different, Blake and Neo's pasts were, last night had hit her far harder than Yang. _I hope they can work it out soon, otherwise I may need to break out the old secret weapon for getting Blake out of bed. We have things to discuss._

Shaking her head sadly, Yang wandered into the kitchen to start preparing breakfast. While not as good of a chef as Blake, she had spent most of her life taking care of herself while her father worked two jobs to support them. She was at least better than Neo, who had once set cereal on fire, a story she still refused to ever speak of again. While Yang took care of that, Neo tried to figure out what was going on with Blake.

Turning herself so that she was now facing Blake, while still being held in her arms, she looked at Blake for the first time since last night. What she saw on her face troubled her: sadness, exhaustion and traces of guilt. The first two were expected, since none of them had gotten a wink of sleep, but the guilt was troubling.

Neo, figuring that she was the source of said guilt, look directly into Blake's eyes and said, "No. You aren't allowed to blame yourself for this. There was nothing you could have done. What happened to me is not your fault."

Blake, surprised at the strength and certainty in Neo's gaze, found herself unable to look away. Neo's eyes held no blame or anger, but instead were an endless wellspring of happiness, which eased Blake's mind somewhat. But part of her refused to acknowledge the girl's words as true. She refused to accept that there was nothing she could have done sooner, some trick or stunt she could have pulled to make Neo tell them the truth faster. Unable to bear looking at Neo any longer, Blake turned her head away as her eyes filled with fresh tears.

Neo, seeing that Blake was about to start crying again, decided it was time to repay the older girl for all her support. Neo had little experience in comforting people emotionally, so for now she decided to copy what Blake and Yang had done for her. She wrapped Blake in a hug and pulled her head down onto her shoulder. One hand began stroking Blake's hair while Neo put the other on the small of her back and started slowly stroking up and down, hoping that the motions combined with physical closeness would be enough.

Almost immediately Blake broke down sobbing, her tears streaming down Neo's shoulder and arm. Fearing that she had done something wrong, Neo tried to pull away. Blake, having none of that, wrapped both her arms around Neo's back and pulled her even closer. She began to talk quietly, and after a few times Neo realized that Blake was repeating "I'm sorry" over and over as she cried.

Neo realized that what she was currently doing wasn't enough, and decided to try a different tactic. She moved her mouth near Blake's ear, and began to quietly whisper: "Blake, none of this was your fault. Please don't blame yourself. You and Yang have never hurt me, and I know that neither of you ever will. Ever." Her words were soft, her tone warm and loving.

Blake knew in that moment that Neo loved her and Yang, even if she was unable to say it at the time. Her tone of voice, the way she spoke, all of it reminded her of the first time Yang had said those three special words. There was a trace of hesitation, of a new emotion being discovered by the heart that the mind had yet to acknowledge, but it was there. And if anything it made things worse for Blake. Her sadness was replaced by anger, for herself and for the situation as a whole, anger at how unfair life was to have treated such an innocent child so terribly. For Neo to be forced into such a cruel fate from the moment of her birth, it angered her beyond words.

Blake pulled back from the embrace and looked straight into Neo's eyes before saying "You should be angry at me, at something, anything. I should have noticed something, made you talk about this sooner. You shouldn't have had to suffer so much for so long." Her words were heavy, thick with anger at the cruelty of fate and with herself.

Neo heard the self-disgust in Blake's tone, and felt a weight form in her heart. Hearing Blake in so much pain made breathing painful, and tears formed in her eyes. _If this is even close to what they felt last night, how did they stay silent? How did they suffer this pain for so long without going mad?_ Neo realized she had to help Blake get through this, and fast, before she started crying again or Yang came to check on them and the situation got even worse.

Neo brushed away the half-shed tears in Blake's eyes, hoping the gesture would calm her down before saying "I needed to trust both of you, come to you with this. If you or Yang had pushed, I would have run. You had to wait for me. Please, forgive yourself." And she pressed a soft kiss to Blake's lips.

Neo reveled in the feeling of Blake lips against her own. They were slightly chapped, mostly due to Blake being extremely thirsty, but felt wonderful regardless. She kept up the kiss for several seconds, trying to communicate that there was nothing to be mad about, nothing to forgive, and the pain she felt at Blake's pain. Blake meanwhile, was so shocked she couldn't move.

After several seconds of Blake remaining unresponsive, Neo began to pull back, fearing it wasn't working. Blake, her mind and body finally catching up, was having none of that. Grabbing Neo's hair with one hand and her neck with the other, she pulled the girl's lips back into firm contact with her mouth. Neo was shocked for a second, then she began kissing Blake back, enjoying the feel of the older girl's lips on her own. Both girls began to relax into the kiss, their bodies drawing closer as they pressed up against each other. The warmth of Neo's lips and the softness of her touch, as if she was afraid of hurting Blake, served to transfer all of Neo's feelings to the other girl. Blake felt tears fall once more, this time from happiness, as she finally understood what Neo was trying to tell her. After a minute or so both girls began to pull away and pushed their foreheads together, still unwilling to let go of each other entirely. Neo looked into Blake's eyes and saw not pain, but happiness and acceptance. Taking this as proof that Blake had forgiven herself, she felt the pain in her chest lighten and vanish, gone as quickly as it had appeared. And while their troubles were far from over, for now things were peaceful once more.

They remained in this position for several minutes, until Neo's stomach decided to imitate Yang's and remind the younger girl about breakfast. Several quiet chuckles later, Neo and Blake wandered out. By then Yang had finished putting breakfast together and was quietly sitting at the table, sipping coffee. It was a relatively simple affair: fruit, cereal and bacon, with juice and coffee for drinks. But given how hungry everyone was, no one minded the simplicity of it all, and they dug in.

Yang asked if everyone thought the food was "egg-cellent" drawing groans from both Blake and Neo, but otherwise breakfast was mostly silent. Occasional small talk filtered across the table, mainly Blake and Yang discussing their respective work schedules. Blake was working three 12 hour shifts, or equal parts heaven and hell as Yang and Neo called it behind her back. Neo was locked in a fierce internal debate about whether or not she should add milk to her black coffee. Yang, sensing her struggle, commented "Looks like your half & half," resulting in Neo's head firmly impacting the table in exasperation and spilling said coffee everywhere. Blake graciously cleaned it up, since Neo had suffered enough torment for one morning.

Once the plates were clear, Yang gave Blake a look before addressing Neo, "You said we could ask questions. Are you ready to talk about it, or do you need more time?"

Neo had been expecting this, and responded with a quick "ask away" before pouring herself a tall glass of juice, figuring it was going to take a while and involve a lot of talking. "But go one at a time, and alternate."

Yang decided to go first, and asked the one question that had been burning inside her for the past hour. Taking a moment, as she dreaded the likely answer, she asked Neo in a grave voice "Have you ever seen a Disney movie?" Her eyes bored into the other girls, to ensure that whatever Neo said was the truth.

Neo took a few seconds to process, before responding "What's a Disney movie?" The audible sound of Yang's head slamming onto the table echoed throughout the apartment, accompanied by a quiet "oh god, it's worse than we thought" from Blake.

Neo, concerned she had answered wrong, quickly asked "What?"

"How have you never seen a Disney movie!?" Yang shouted, her voice rising in disbelief. "Lion King, Cinderella, Little Mermaid, Mulan, Frozen! Any of those ring a bell?" Neo, not knowing what any of those things were, shook her head "No."

Blake wordlessly walked into the bedroom and came back with a few sheets of paper and a pen. She wrote "Adult life" on one paper and handed it and a pen to Yang. On another she wrote "Childhood" and put under it "Disney movies," underlined several times. Then, sighing heavily, she resigned herself to a long morning.

Turning her attention back to Neo, she fixed her with a serious gaze before asking "Ever had a birthday party?"

After about an hour of questions, both girl's lists were full and their heads were throbbing from despair and exhaustion. Neo had missed out on some of the most basic facets of life, both in her childhood and in recent times. Her childhood list had run close to four pages, front and back. Some of the more soul-crushingly depressing entries were "never seen a Disney movie," "never owned a toy," "never rode a bike," and "never had a birthday party." Others, like "never watched the clouds and pointed out shapes," "never gotten nails painted" and "never had a slumber party" were less depressing but still considered of somewhat vital importance by the two older girls. Some of the less important entries were "never been to a carnival," or "never been to the zoo," among other things, mainly because Yang had a secret fear of clowns and Blake hated zoos.

The "Adult life" list was shorter, only about two pages front and back, but was still far longer than it should have been. Blake and Yang knew that Neo had never been to school, so they had avoided anything related to that. But the girl had also never been to the beach, an amusement park, or even out of the city of Vale. She had never been ice skating, never been to a dance, or given a present for any holiday, though she did know what Christmas was which was an immense relief to both girls. Though they secretly thought that Neo only knew about it because she had been around when Blake and Yang were celebrating it last year. But she was ignorant of almost all the other holidays, such as Thanksgiving or Easter, though she did have some basic understanding of Halloween.

Unbeknownst to both Blake and Neo, Yang was secretly writing a third list in her head, which she simply dubbed the "Relationship list." The first entry was obviously sex, written in big bold letters and underlined a dozen times, but farther down it became filled with other things, simpler things. Neo had almost never been complimented, except by her and Blake a few times. She had never received flowers, gone on a fancy dinner date, or the hundreds of other things that Blake and Yang had done in the course of their relationship. In short, she had never been made to feel wanted, to feel desired, or at least she did not realize that was how Blake and Yang felt about her.

Overall, Blake and Yang felt a sense of sadness just looking at the lists in front of them. Neo had missed out on so much of what life had to offer, it would take another lifetime to catch her up. _We need to prioritize_ Blake thought, _figure out the most important stuff and do that first._

Yang was apparently way ahead of her, as without warning the blonde stood up and declared "Tonight its movie night. We are watching The Lion King, Mulan, and whatever else we can manage to fit in." Turning to Neo, the girl nodded, followed swiftly by Blake. The raven haired girl then decided to make things more interesting. A few seconds later Neo went to the bathroom, finally being allowed a break in the questioning. As soon as the door shut, Blake whispered to Yang "$20 she cries when Mufasa dies"

Yang, never one to say no to a bet, responded "$20 she cries at some point during Mulan."

Both girls shook hands, then lapsed into a comfortable silence while they waited for Neo to come back out so the inquisition could resume. Once all three girls were seated back at the table, Yang decided it was time to start asking the harder questions. She took a breath, steeling herself for the ordeal that was trying to get the truth out of Neo. It made pulling teeth look easy in comparison.

Blake, however beat her to the punch and asked "Why didn't you run away sooner?"

Neo, not prepared for that particular question, took a moment to collect her thoughts. She turned to Blake and responded "I don't really know. Part of the reason was I had nowhere else to go. The orphanage had turned me out, and I knew Roman would find me there. As bad as it was working with him, I had a place to sleep that was safe as long as I followed the rules."

Taking a few moments to think about it, she continued "And the other part was, his constant abuse made me feel like all I was good for was working for him. He knew how to control us, I'll give him that. But once I fell off the list, leaving was easy. But until that, it was a routine. And one that was hard to break out of."

Blake, seemingly satisfied, turned to Yang and inclined her head. Deciding to start with the simplest question, Yang looked at Neo and asked "What was with the severed head? Did you really fall asleep?"

Neo's face turned a bright red, her mind going back to that fateful day. It was possibly the most forgetful she had ever been in her life, and she still wished that Blake and Yang had found out about her profession any other way.

 _Neo walked into the apartment shortly after dawn, clutching a cooler in one hand and a bag of ice in the other. The cooler was filled with the head of her latest victim, some fool who had decided pissing Cinder off was a smart idea. The issue was, the delivery of proof couldn't happen till that night at the earliest, so Neo had to keep said proof fresh, which required ice. She wrote a quick note that said "Neo's, DON'T TOUCH" before pouring the ice into the cooler and shoving the now filled container next to the fridge. Satisfied that no one would touch it, Neo sat down on the couch and turned the TV on, intending to catch a quick nap. The last thing she saw was the TV clock reading 6:30 before darkness took her._

 _A loud scream dragged her from sleep forced her back to reality. The first thing she saw was the TV clock, it now read 1:20. "Shit that means Yang is back. How the fuck did I oversleep that bad?" Neo got off the couch and turned towards the kitchen, hoping that Yang had seen a mouse or something. Instead, she was treated to the sight of Yang staring straight into her cooler, with a portion of the head sticking out. Her only possibly response was a series of "fucks," growing louder by the second._

 _Yang, hearing Neo's cursing, turned and saw the now awake owner of said cooler. Doing what any rational person would do upon finding a severed head in their apartment, she completely lost her shit._

 _Advancing on Neo, she started screaming "There is a Fucking Head. In a FUCKING COOLER. YOUR FUCKING COOLER. WHAT THE FUCK" Her eyes were wild, and her arms were raised in the standard boxing stance, as if she viewed Neo as a threat._

" _Listen I can explain," Neo pleaded, hoping that her calm tone would cut through the blonde's anger and reach her more rational side._

 _If anything, the calm tone of her voice only angered Yang further. That confirmed to her that Neo was some sort of remorseless psychopath, and that she was a threat to her and Blake. Hence, she had to go. "Oh I'm sure you can. And you will, down at the police station." Pulling out her phone, Yang started to dial 911. Just before her finger got to the last 1 button, Neo had taken out two knives and stabbed the phone, rendering it useless._

" _Sorry, but I can't let you call the police." Neo said, desperately hoping to find a way to calm the situation down._

" _That's it. You're leaving, right now." Yang said, her voice growing hard and her anger subsiding. She was focusing, drawing in her anger and sharpening it, for now she truly regarded Neo as a danger, a threat. She was a beast, with knives for claws, and had to be dealt with carefully_

" _No, I won't. You can't make me." Neo said, dropping into a fighting stance. She felt the waves of anger radiating from Yang. They were cold and angry, filled with murderous intent. If Neo wasn't careful, she might be leaving the apartment in a body bag._

" _Wrong answer." And without another word, Yang attacked, throwing a punch right for Neo's head. Neo ducked out of the way and slid to one side, hoping to put some furniture between her and the now enraged blonde beast. Yang saw her movement and threw up a kick, aiming straight for Neo's midsection. Neo managed to block, receiving the impact on her upper right arm, which was definitely going to bruise later._

 _Neo managed to get on the other side of the coffee table, forcing Yang to give chase. For the next 40 minutes, the apartment was a scene of chaos worthy of a Tom and Jerry Cartoon. Yang never let up in her relentless pursuit, doing whatever she could to try to incapacitate Neo. She threw objects, punched holes in walls and smashed furniture. In her mind Neo was a threat to Blake, one that she had trusted and allowed to live in the apartment for far too long._

 _Neo, on the other hand, never fought back. She believed that if Blake could make it home before the apartment was completely destroyed, then the situation might still be salvageable. Hence her main goal had shifted to survival and tiring the blonde out. So all she did was dodge, hoping that Yang would eventually give up. Her head was constantly bobbing and weaving, avoiding the many sharp objects that Yang sent her way. Once the blonde ran out of the kitchen cutlery, she started using the pots and pans, leaving yet more holes in the wall._

 _By the time an hour had passed since the madness had begun, Yang was exhausted. And both she and Neo knew it. Her punches had lost their power, she was no longer flinging objects around, and standing on her feet was becoming a real issue. Neo, sensing an opportunity, decided it was time to strike. She grabbed a frying pan and took aim for Yang's jaw, hoping to knock the blonde out cold in one hit. Her aim was true, and the pan connected with Yang's chin with a resounding *gong*_

 _Unfortunately, that was the exact moment that Blake decided to walk back into the apartment. The sight she was greeted with was worthy of comedy gold: Her normally silent and reserved roommate, wielding a frying pan, was knocking out her girlfriend. All around them, the apartment looked like a whirlwind had come through. Stuff was thrown everywhere, holes littered the walls, furniture was in ruins and the couch was knocked over._

 _Neo, standing above the unconscious remains of Yang, held up the frying pan and said "I can explain."_

"Yes, I really did fall asleep. And I'm sorry about the damage to the apartment. And knocking you out. And tying Blake up until I explained everything."

Yang responded with a laugh before answering: "I had forgotten you did that. And its fine, you paid for the apartment and my new phone. My face mended itself up in a few days. Everything worked out all right in the end."

"Yeah, except that you obsessively monitored Neo for months, worried that she was going to kill us the second we looked away. And refused to talk to her, or me for that first week, because I had agreed to let her stay." Blake chimed in.

"And we lost all those photos on the phone she stabbed. Including the ones from our first anniversary." Yang replied, her eyebrows waggling suggestively.

Blake's face turned bright red, and she was suddenly thankful that Neo had destroyed those particular images. At the time she was so…. distracted she hadn't even noticed Yang taking them, and no amount of begging could make her delete them. It became Yang's favorite past time to make Blake look at them without warning, since they never failed to bring a blush to her face. It had been four months of constant annoyance. She had wondered why Yang had stopped using them all of a sudden, and now she had her answer.

"Besides," Yang continued, her smirk growing even wider, "I bet Blake enjoyed being tied to that chair."

And though it had seemed impossible, Blake's blush deepened further, and she screeched out "Yang, she doesn't need to know that."

"Ohhhhhhh, so you did enjoy it. I knew it!"

Neo, not grasping what the two were currently arguing about, though she had some ideas, asked "Why would Blake enjoy being tied to a chair?"

Blake buried her head in her hands and groaned while Yang responded with an "I'll explain later," which drew sharp protest from Blake. While the two argued, the gears in Neo's mind were hard at work, trying to analyze what was going on. _Well, what is something that Yang always talks about, but bothers Blake to no end?_ After several seconds, her mind realized it, and she blushed at the thought.

Turning to both of them, still stuck in the middle of an argument, she screamed "You two were talking about sex!" Their reactions were complete opposites: Blake's mouth hung open, shock and embarrassment clear on her face. _Oh god, I would give anything for her to not know that._ Yang meanwhile started giggling, covering her face with her hands as her body rocked with laughter. She almost fell out of her chair before grabbing onto the table, still struggling to contain her laughing.

Blake, unable to deal with it any longer, shouted at Yang "Be quiet" before looking back to Neo, who was still processing the new information about Blake. Hoping to distract her, Blake asked "Is there anything you want Yang and I to change around the apartment? Anything you want us to do for you?"

Neo, now distracted, thought of several things she wanted. Deciding it was best to start serious, she fixed both her and Yang with a gaze before saying "Let me take care of the both of you occasionally."

Both girls were confused by her statement: Yang let out a "huh?" while Blake said "can you explain what you mean?"

Neo, relieved to finally say the words that had been in her heart for so long, said "I need both of you to feel happy, to feel ok with my life. Before I met either of you, my life was gray and lifeless. I lived only because my body refused to die. I existed day by day. Nothing mattered to me, nothing in my life was important and I cared about no one."

She took a breath, controlling herself before continuing "Then I met the both of you. You two brought color into my life, brightened the endless expanse of gray. You taught me what it was like to feel happy, to feel safe. For the first time, I cared about another person, well another two people. I wanted them to be happy, to be safe, no matter the cost to myself. Both of you are my reason for living. The problem is, most of the time you two take care of me. Comfort me. I want to do something for the both of you. Whatever you want, or at least whatever I can do for either of you, as often as possible."

Yang and Blake, unable to contain themselves, walked around the table and wrapped Neo in simultaneous hugs, her cuteness temporarily overloading their brains. Blake said "We like taking care of you, you don't have to feel the need to pay us back."

Neo responded "I don't feel like I need to, I want to!"

Yang, sensing her chance, said "In that case, I could use a nightly back massage, oh and a foot massage and…." Blake muffled her mouth, trying to keep Yang from taking advantage of Neo's newfound generosity. After a few seconds Yang stopped trying to talk, though she flashed Neo a silent "We'll talk later," before asking her "Anything else you want"

Neo was suddenly afraid of how Blake and Yang would react to her next request. She quietly mumbled "feel your tits…"

Yang, only catching the first part, asked "What was that." Blake on the other hand heard everything, and was too shocked to respond.

Neo, annoyed with herself for not being more assertive, threw caution to the wind and shouted "I want to play with your breasts."

The apartment was silent for a few seconds, as each occupant tried to process what had just been shouted. Blake was surprised that Neo could be so forward, since that was behavior she normally reserved for Yang. Her face broke out in a massive blush at the thought of Neo doing what she wanted, though she was sure she would enjoy it. Yang meanwhile was shocked into silence, though internally she was cheering _yes, yes, finally!_ Neo, meanwhile was both surprised that she had shouted that loud and was afraid that their silence meant something bad.

Feeling dejected, she said "I guess not?"

Yang instantly said "Yes, I mean No, I mean….. Neo, if you wanted to play with either of us, all you had to do was ask." By this point Yang's face had broken out into a huge grin, and she was in the process of ripping her shirt off.

Blake, seeing what Yang had planned, said "Not right now."

"Why not?" Yang was irritated reply. She couldn't understand what was wrong with Blake. Neo had finally taken a step forward, Blake should have been ripping her clothes as well, not telling Yang to stop.

"You have work in an hour, and the manager told me if you are late one more time he will fire you," was Blake's quick reply. In truth, she wanted nothing more than to pick Neo up, carry her to the bedroom and let her have her way with both her and Yang. But she knew that would have to wait till tonight

"Aw c'mon, this is more important," Yang replied, though she knew that Blake was right in the end. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed the money that being a personal trainer provided. Without it, she and Blake could barely afford rent on the apartment.

Blake turned to Neo, a sad smile on her face and said "You'll get your treat later, sometime tonight. We promise. That ok?"

Neo, just happy that the two had agreed so readily, and seemed so excited at the prospect, nodded "Yes"

Yang walked over to the bathroom, her body demanding she answer the call of nature. While she was indisposed, Blake and Neo went about cleaning the plates from breakfast and stacking them on the counter to dry, Blake saying she would put them up later. Yang walked out of the bathroom, her expression grim.

She walked up to Neo and stared at her for a second before asking "You said you would answer any question we asked, right?"

Neo, confused and starting to worry, said "Yesssssssss"

Yang's expression grew pained, her face tight. _I really wish I didn't have to do this._ Taking a breath, she knew she had to. Deciding to get it over with quickly, she asked "What issue is still bothering you. Why have you been working so much more lately? What is going on?"

Neo had been worried about either her or Blake asking this question all morning, and she had been silently prepping her argument all morning. Now that it had actually been asked, however, it all flew out the window. Her mind was blank, and she couldn't think of a response. The silence grew, the atmosphere growing tense.

After almost a minute of continuous silence, Neo said "I can't tell you. It's personal"

"Bullshit" Yang yelled, growing angrier by the second. "You owe us an explanation."

"Yang, please calm down. She doesn't have to tell us anything." Blake pleaded, trying to defuse the situation.

Yang ignored Blake, her eyes fixed on Neo's. She refused to look away, to even blink, until Neo gave them an explanation. She wanted the truth, and no amount of pleading from Blake could stop her. She decided that if asking nicely wasn't working, then it was time for a guilt trip. "You said that Blake and I were your whole world, that you would do anything for us." By this point Neo looked away, unable to bear Yang's gaze any longer. Yang however, was having none of that and grabbed her head, forcing Neo to look directly at Yang's face. Neo saw a fiery anger in Yang's eyes, but also concern, worry, and a flash of fear that was gone as quick as it was there. _She's worried about me. God damn it._

Neo looked directly into Yang's eyes, and pitched her voice loud enough that Blake could hear as well, saying "I can't tell you, not yet. When it's all over, I will tell you everything. I promise. It's for your own good."

Yang, her anger rising, retorted "Not good enough. Why can't you tell us?"

"I just can't." Neo said, the words torn from her mouth. She would give anything for Yang to drop the conversation

"Is it because you don't trust us?" Yang asked,

"NO, I do trust you," Neo said, guilt coursing through her. She hated this situation, hated that she had to lie to Blake and Yang.

"Then tell us, let us in" Yang pleaded, her voice growing more desperate. She wanted the truth from Neo, she wanted that last wall of secrets broken down.

"I can't,"

"WHY NOT" Yang screamed, her frustration at a breaking point

"BECAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO DIE." Neo screamed in response. Her throat was suddenly sore, and she took several deep breaths to calm down before continuing, "If I tell you anything, you're dead. I can only protect you if you remain ignorant." Neo was unable to control herself any longer, and tears started falling from her eyes. "Hate me if you want, despise me. I don't care. As long as you two are alive, nothing else matters. Nothing."

Yang was silent, her face inscrutable. She was unable to respond, unable to come up with a response, a reason that could convince Neo to tell her anything. For almost a minute she remained silent, breathing heavily as her mind fought against itself. One part of her desperately wanted to hear the truth from Neo, whatever the cost, while the other part didn't want to cause the girl any further pain or worry. The stress and anger built and built until it was ready to erupt, and Yang knew she had to get out of the apartment before she did something she would regret

Without warning she shouted "I can't take this anymore" and without another word walked out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her. As she was leaving, without turning around she said "Going to work."

Neo stared at the door for several seconds, unable to process what had just happened. She started crying harder, worried that Yang wouldn't forgive her, that she had ruined their relationship. Blake wrapped Neo in a hug and told her "It's fine, she just needs to punch some of her students for a few hours and she will calm down."

"But, but what if she hates me?" Neo cried, praying that Blake was right

"Believe me, that's just how she gets. If she was truly angry at you, she would just stop talking to you. You would disappear from her sight, forever. She's not mad at you, she's mad at the situation, at everything going on right now. Give her a few hours, she will calm down. I promise"

 _But what if she doesn't, Neo thought silently. What if I have ruined everything? What if Blake is wrong? Why did I have to screw up the only good thing in my life?_ As those thoughts raced through her head, Neo started crying harder, staring at the door Yang had just slammed shut.

Blake, meanwhile, was no less worried then Yang was. Because if what Neo said was true, she could easily end up just as dead as the people she killed. Blake knew that she had to get the truth from Neo, and quickly. Before she found the girl lying in a ditch somewhere.

 _But that can wait_ she thought, _at least for now._ She had to deal with the situation at hand, namely the girl that was crying in her arms. So she simply held Neo, comforting the other girl in a silent embrace. Both girls stayed rooted to the spot, each shouldering a burden they had yet to fully comprehend. One held a secret, the magnitude of which she did not fully understand, the other a past that was slowly coming back to haunt her. And the weight would have slowly crushed them, if not for Yang.

Neo and Blake did not realize it, but they both needed Yang. They had come to desperately depend on her energy and strength to ease the weight of their respective pasts. They craved the feel of her arms, the sense of being wrapped in a gentle protectiveness that made everything better, no matter how bad the situation had gotten. Yang had a fire inside her, a warmth that kept the cold of the night and the terrors of the dark at bay. Without her, the world was cruel and cold. Her existence was like a beacon, a safe zone in an otherwise endless expanse of gray. And at that moment, Neo and Blake needed her more than ever. But she had left

And for what felt like an eternity, though it was only an hour, the two girls stared at the entrance to their apartment. Both wishing that the door would open, and their blonde brawler would finally come back.

 _So first off, sorry if the ending is weird, or forced, or whatever. I had to end it here, because the next part I have planned is kinda critical, and a bit long. So this was the end point, and it felt awkward. Hope it doesn't come across that way_

 _Second, yes Yang is coming back. But unfortunately, she had work. Worrying about rent and money sucks, even for fictional characters._

 _Third, how many of you found this chapter worse than the last? I mean, not having seen a Disney movie is depressing as shit, right?_

 _Feedback is definitely appreciated, and I will try to respond as fast as possible. Bring me your grammatical errors, your plot holes, your crazed guesses and general thoughts. No matter what they are, anything and everything is welcome._


	6. The Addicts Dilemma

_First off, I'm truly sorry about the delay. I just couldn't think of what I wanted to do in this chapter. And work is not helping. On the other hand, I got ideas for the next 3-4 chapter's all planned out, or at least bouncing around in the deranged sack of gray matter I call a brain._

 _Second, to that one reader (_ _bkpfdkpkpd)_ _who left that MASSIVE review, THANK YOU. Since I can't respond personally for reasons I don't understand, leaving it here:_

 _Thank you for that idea, its heart wrenching. You were right about the angst thing, I was adding in way too much variance. But that was mainly just for her backstory. I was trying to make her entire past dark, with almost nothing good at all. And I think you and I have different ideas as to where this story is going. The goal, at least for the moment, is not tragedy. Just pain. Because pain = character development. And I'm a terrible person._

 _Cover art commissioned and completed by jo3mm. You can find them on tumbler, same name_

Silence is an interesting concept, in that like love it can take many forms. Some silences are comfortable, where people are either enjoying their alone time or the time spent with others, a special kind of silence where no words are necessary, and any speaking would only interfere with the tranquility of the situation. There are awkward silences, where no one is quite sure what to say next and everyone is desperately hoping for a clown juggling flaming chainsaws to burst into the room and lighten the atmosphere. There are uncomfortable silences, where people are dodging around issues or avoiding talking to each other for one reason or another and someone is generally about to get punched in the face because they probably deserve it.

Then there is absolute silence, that particular combination of stillness and noiselessness that rarely come up in a person's life, and only last for the briefest of moments. It's that instant after the doctor emerges from surgery and before he begins to speak. But one look at his eyes has already told you more than words ever could and you know that your world is about to shatter into pieces. Or the instant before a car crash, that seemingly endless expanse of time where your entire life flashes before you, forcing you to realize that all your choices in life have lead you to this one terrifying moment. It is the single breath that separates life and death, where your mind replays your past in an endless loop, giving you time to reflect on all the _"what ifs"_. It is the stillness of a deep pool of water the instant before a plunge, so perfect and yet so fragile. It's as if time itself is holding its breath, and a second lasts for a thousand lifetimes. It is both a moment that you never want to end, and at the same time cannot end fast enough, because enduring it is painful beyond words. But endure it you must, because what comes next is perhaps too terrifying to consider.

Such was the silence that Neo and Blake were currently enveloped in as they stared at the doorway of their apartment, having been standing in the same position for the past hour. Neither of them was willing to say anything, and both were worried that if they tried to walk away they would collapse. Without Yang it was like a support was removed from their lives, and one hard shove would send them crashing to the ground.

Both girls were saved from the silence by the sound of Blake's phone going off, Yang's personal ringtone tearing the quiet to ribbons and filling the apartment with noise. Blake, disentangling herself from Neo, walked over to the coffee table and grabbed her phone. Finding a text message from Yang, and a surprisingly long one, she began to read. Neo, meanwhile, wandered over to the counter and poured herself a large cup of coffee. Even with her ability to stay awake and fight off exhaustion, the last 36 hours had taken their toll.

As Blake finished reading Yang's text, a smile broke out on her face at the blonde's plan. Sending back a quick "Will do, good idea, hurry home" she turned to Neo and explained "Yang said she will be working a bit late and should be back around 6. Didn't want us to worry." Blake walked over to Neo, looked her directly in the eyes and continued "She isn't mad, I promise." She said the words slowly, deliberately, trying to convince Neo that they were absolute truth and that she had nothing to worry about.

Neo, not believing Blake, decided it was easier to just agree and said "If you say so. So what should we do now? Any more errands to run?" As she was talking she began making a list of contacts to call to see if they had any new targets she could go after.

"Nope" Blake responded, taking a moment to plan her next move. Deciding that bluntness was the best way to make Yang's plan work, she told Neo "I'm going to take a bath, I could use a nice hot soak. You need the bathroom Neo?"

"No" Neo responded, her mind still distracted by thoughts of work. The deadline was fast approaching, and she needed all the money she could get. It was worrying her a little, but she still had almost two months left. One way or another, she would get the money on time. _Maybe I can just break into Weiss's house and steal her doorknobs or something. Considering how expensive her outfit was, they're probably made of gold or diamonds or something._

Deciding that Neo was sufficiently distracted, Blake then bluntly asked "Would you like to join me?"

Neo again mindlessly responded with a 'Yes." Several seconds later her brain finally caught up and her gaze snapped up to Blake's before she stuttered out "wait, what?"

Blake had to resist the urge to laugh or hug Neo senseless, her confused face was simply too entertaining and cute. But she somehow kept a straight face and repeated "Do you want to take a bath with me?"

Neo now had a serious internal debate raging in her head. Most of her body and the more salacious parts of her head were screaming _YES, YES_ as loud as they possibly could, for the obvious reason that this would give her a chance to stare at Blake's naked body, to ravish the raven haired beauty with her eyes for probably as long she wanted. To burn the image of Blake's naked form into her retinas for the rest of her possibly short life.

Another part of her mind, which was thankfully less perverted, was looking forward to the close contact that taking a bath together would mean. No matter how much time she spent with Blake or Yang, for Neo it was never enough. Part of Neo was hoping that Blake would let her wash her hair. She had wanted to run her hands through the soft black tresses for some time, to gently massage Blake's scalp with her hands as Blake moaned in delight. .

The rest of Neo, however, was desperately trying to convince her to say No. Part of her was afraid being naked around Blake, since no one had seen her naked before. But most of her was afraid that she would react badly once she had actually gotten into the tub.

Blake, sensing that Neo needed a little push, started to turn away while saying "Neo, if you don't want to…"

"No, I mean yes I do" Neo nearly shouted, the pressure of the situation having made the decision for her. As scared as she was, she knew she would regret not taking this opportunity.

Blake smile grew impossibly wide at Neo's words. _Step one, complete_. Turning back to face Neo, Blake said "Good. I'll get the bath started, do you mind bubbles?" Neo shook her head no, and Blake continued "Ok, it should be ready in a few minutes."

Blake wandered off to get the bath started, her anticipation rising. Neo sharing a bath with her, Neo being naked and vulnerable around her, was a big step. Part of her wished that Yang was here for this, but that might have been a little too much stimulation for the poor girl to deal with at once. That, and part of Blake wanted Neo all to herself, at least for now. She wanted to gently hold Neo in her arms, to run her hands along every inch of Neo's skin.

Once she got the bath going she slipped out and went to the bedroom, calling out to Neo to get in first and wait for her. After she closed the door to the bedroom she shed her clothes quickly, changing into nothing but a robe. She heard the bedroom door open then close, and started walking towards the bathroom.

Neo walked into the bathroom and stared at the tub for a few seconds, mesmerized by how foamy the bubbles had already become. Neo had never taken a bubble bath before and part of her wanted to play with the bubbles, but she quickly discarded that thought. _The point of this bath is Blake, I can play with the bubbles later._

She stood by the tub, her heart beating fast enough to almost burst out of her chest. Part of it was due to the anticipation of sharing a bath with Blake, but most of it was due to her being in a bath at all. Neo tried to focus on anything but the rising water. Desperate for a distraction, she stared at the quickly fogging floor length mirror attached to the back of the door for a few seconds before focusing on each girl's respective towel. Yang's and Neo's were yellow and pink respectively, matching each girl's hair color, but Blake's was a light forest green. _What is it that made her choose that particular towel, that specific fabric and color combo?_ _Is it because she likes the color, or does it have some special meaning for her?_

The sound of the doorknob turning brought Neo's attention back to the situation at hand, and she watched as Blake slowly entered the room, wearing a full length robe. Blake took one look at Neo and slowly shook her head, a small smile on her face. "Neo, you can't take a bath with clothes on." Blake stepped forward, so her back was to Neo, then undid the tie on her robe and dropped it to the floor, turning her head so she could see Neo's reaction.

Neo's heart stopped, hew jaw dropped to the floor and her eyes grew so wide it was a wonder they didn't pop right out of her head. Blake Belladonna was standing in front of her, wearing nothing but a smile on her face. There was so much to look at Neo's eyes couldn't stay focused on one spot. They ran up and down Blake's body, not processing anything they saw, her mind too consumed by arousal to think straight. Finally she decided to start from the bottom and work her way up.

The first thing that caught Neo's eyes were Blake's legs: long and lithe, they were similar to the legs of marathon runners. The kind of legs that could run from the cops for miles without growing tired or stand stock still for hours, hiding in the shadows. It looked like Blake regularly shaved, as her light olive legs held no trace of hair beyond a small amount of stubble.

Drawing her eyes upward, Neo got her first of many views of Blake's bare ass. Blake's ass was like her legs, each cheek firm muscle with a small curve from lower spine to upper leg. Blake obviously kept herself in excellent shape with all that running around at the clinic, since there didn't seem to be an ounce of fat anywhere that Neo's eyes could see, and she looked everywhere. Part of her mind was screaming at her to grab Blake's ass, but her body was too paralyzed by shock. The only thing she could do was continue moving her eyes upward, despite her desire to stare for as long as possible.

Neo's eyes quickly moved up Blake's back, taking in the relaxed position of her shoulder and back muscles before getting back to Blake's face. Her eyes were half lidded, but Neo could see the arousal plain on Blake's face. Neo lost herself in Blake's gaze, unable to look away from the other girl's lust filled stare. She was staring at Neo like she was her favorite treat, and she was playing with it before devouring it. And her gaze promised Neo that she was going to enjoy every minute of it.

The entire time Neo had been ogling Blake, Blake's eyes had never left Neo's face. Blake had wanted to witness Neo's shameless display of lust, and she was not disappointed. She knew that Neo deserved to look as long as she wanted, but unfortunately she had to stop the bath water soon otherwise the tub would overflow. Figuring that a little more teasing wouldn't hurt, she bent over at the waist and turned the hot water faucet off. The act of doing so highlighted Blake's ass even more to Neo. Her heart had now stopped twice in as many minutes, and she wasn't sure how much more of this she could take before that particular organ simply gave out.

Blake straightened up and stepped into the tub, shivering pleasantly at the water's heat. She lowered herself into the water and pressed her back against the back end of the tub. She looked at Neo, who was still standing stock still in the middle of the bathroom, still trying to process what had just happened. Blake cocked her head slightly to one side before saying "If you want to join me, you need to take your clothes off."

Neo took a few seconds to respond, her mind too consumed by what she had just seen to function properly. Once she properly processed what Blake had said her face erupted in a massive blush. The thought of stripping in front of Blake was terrifying. Part of her was afraid that Blake wouldn't find her attractive enough, but another part of her was afraid that Blake _would_. Neo wasn't sure how far Blake was planning on advancing their relationship, she wasn't sure how she would react.

Blake, wondering why Neo was still standing still, noticed her glazed over eyes and figured the girl needed another nudge. She cleared her throat to get Neo's attention then said "Neo, it's just a bath. Remember, you set the pace here, not me." Blake flashed the girl a bright smile, hoping that would reassure her enough to actually get her in the tub.

Neo wordlessly nodded, then set her mind to the process of taking her clothes off. She was still clad in her pajamas from the night before, so at least she didn't have much to remove. Figuring it was better to get it over with, Neo practically threw her shirt off and dropped her shorts to the ground before approaching the tub.

 _We have seriously got to teach this girl about sex appeal Blake thought._ She had been hoping that Neo would at least draw out her clothing removal a little bit. But the girl had thrown her clothes off so fast they had basically been a blur flying across the bathroom. None of that mattered, however, because Neo was now naked and standing in front of Blake, slowly approaching the tub.

Blake had seen Neo naked before. She was normally the one to change Neo every time she stumbled into the apartment after a job and passed out on the floor or table, too tired to make it to her room. Yang had tried a few times, but she had accidentally woken Neo up once and gotten a mild concussion from the startled girls flailing. After that particular incident she opted to let Blake take care of it. But it was one thing to see Neo half naked as she was focusing on changing her clothing. Quite another to have her fully naked and standing only a foot away.

Time seemed to slow down for Blake as she took in every detail of Neo's bare body. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the girl's breasts. They were slightly smaller than Blake's, but suited Neo's smaller size well. Her areola, a bright pink that matched the girl's hair dye, stood out against her milky white skin. Blake felt her core heat up and realized she was going to have to be very careful to not lose control and accidentally push Neo farther then she was willing to go. It was hard for her or Yang to control themselves around Neo as it was. _This bath might have been a bad idea_.

Blake's eyes moved down, taking in the sight of Neo's abdomen: her slim but taunt stomach muscles moving tensing and contracting quickly, keeping in time with Neo's rapid breathing. Her eyes wandered lower, quickly taking in the sight of Neo's center before quickly moving her gaze farther down. Blake was confident that she could remain in control, but felt no desire to test that theory any farther. The logical part of her mind that was still functioning, the rest of it consumed by the image of a nude Neo, made a note to talk to Neo about shaving down there.

As Blake's eyes wandered down to Neo's legs, she noticed several blemishes on Neo's skin. Taking a closer look, she realized that they were actually scars, and based on their size and color were at least several years old. That realization jolted Blake's mind back to full awareness, and she more carefully looked over Neo's body, her gaze less lustful and more focused on studying the girl now standing in front of her.

The first thing she noticed were the multitude of scars present at random points across her flesh. Most of the scars were small white lines of varying length and width, permanent reminders of the years of abuse Neo suffered at the hands of Roman and his goons. Several half healed bruises marred her pale white skin, their dark purple color standing out like torches in an otherwise pitch black night. Blake felt her mind memorizing the location of every scar she could see. She wanted to run her hands along them, to gently kiss and suck each area of flesh. Blake figured that Neo remembered her past each time she looked at them, and wanted to give her more pleasant memories and sensations to think about.

The next thing Blake noticed was how thin Neo actually was. While not quite at starving standards, the girl's ribs were more noticeable then was healthy and her appendages resembled twigs. Neo definitely had muscle, that fact was indisputable, but there was far too little of it for Blake's liking. Blake made a mental note to talk about Neo's eating habits with Yang at the next opportunity and figure out how they could make her eat more. There was nothing her or Yang could do about Neo eating when she was working, but they could make her stuff her face while she was at the apartment.

Blake felt that she had been staring at Neo for hours, but in reality it had only been a handful of seconds. In that time, however, Neo's gaze never left Blake's face. She watched as Blake's expression changed, going from lustful to concerned in the span of a few seconds. Suddenly self-conscious, she crossed her arms over her ribs, where the largest concentration of scar tissue was located, and said "I know, they're ugly."

Blake felt her anger flare at Neo's words. Her smile was replaced by a tight line, her expression hardening and face muscles growing tight. Without warning she stood up, water trailing down her body and pudding on the floor, and said "They are NOT ugly. They prove how strong you were. That you survived, that you endured suffering few people could comprehend."

Neo paused for a second, her mind working in overtime. She had never considered things from that perspective. That maybe the scars were not a symbol of her weakness, but rather of her ability to endure, to claw and fight for survival with every breath in her body. Maybe what was important wasn't what she had been through, but her perspective on it. She wasn't weak for taking all the abuse she did for as long as she had, she was strong for having survived and escaped from it. Neo nodded once, then looked at Blake and said "You're right, you're absolutely right."

Blake's face lit up with joy at Neo's words, happiness thrumming through her body. It was another sign that Neo was changing, improving for the better. That she was beginning to see herself in a positive light. Still looking at Neo she said "I know, now get in here. The water won't be warm forever." and lowered herself back into the same position she had been in moments before.

Neo stepped into the tub, lowering herself down on the other side so that she would be facing Blake. Before she could Blake said "oh no you don't" and grabbed Neo. Blake turned her around, hugging Neo's back to her chest, and lowered them both into the tub. The water's height, combined with the ludicrous amount of bubbles that resulted from Blake using too much bubble bath formula, covered each girl up to their shoulders. This allowed them to focus on the relaxing pleasure of the hot water and not on each other's naked forms.

The end result was that Blake's back was against the wall and Neo was against Blake, her head resting on Blake's shoulder and collarbone. The position was extremely comfortable and Neo felt herself lean back into Blake until their bodies were fully pressed together. The feeling of Blake against her, combined with the heat of the bath, was so relaxing. Neo suddenly realized how exhausted she was, and felt her eyelids start to shut. Giving in to her body's demands, she felt herself quickly falling asleep.

Blake, however, was having none of that. Filling one of the small bowls kept next to the tub with water, she poured the entire thing over Neo's head, causing her to squeal at suddenly being drenched.

Pouting, Neo turned her head to face Blake, who said "You don't get to fall asleep on me. Not yet." She paused for a second, taking in the adorableness of Neo's pout, before asking "Do you want me to wash your hair?"

Neo instantly responded "But I wanted to wash yours." Her voice had taken on a playful tone, but her eyes were hard and set, as serious as if they were talking about a million dollar contract.

Blake, seeing that there was no way she could convince Neo otherwise, decided to bargain. "You can, but I want to pamper you a little first. Deal?"

"Deal" Neo said, satisfied that she would be getting what she wanted sooner or later. Her expression was similar to a kid in a candy store that had just gotten his favorite treat, which amused Blake to no end.

Blake pushed Neo slightly forward, ensuring she had enough room for maneuvering, and rinsed Neo's hair several times to make sure she had properly soaked every inch. She wanted to dunk Neo's head under the water, but figured such a sudden action wasn't a good idea, considering how skittish Neo normally was.

Neo's hair was now good and soaked, so Blake grabbed her strawberry scented conditioner and squirted a generous amount onto her hand. Starting at the roots, she worked the product into Neo's hair, eventually switching to shampoo and lathering up Neo's scalp before gently rinsing her hair again. As she was working, she discreetly extended one of her legs and pulled at the drain to the tub with her toes, letting the water slowly drain out. For the next part of her plan to work, she needed better visibility.

Neo, meanwhile, was in heaven. The feeling of Blake's fingernails gently scratching at her scalp and massaging her head were unlike anything she had ever experienced. She was amazed that something as simple as someone else washing your hair could feel so good, but somehow it did. Neo tried her best to remain silent but she was unable to resist an occasional quiet moan, which delighted Blake to no end. All too soon however Blake was finished, and Neo figured she could now return the favor.

Blake, however, had other ideas. The water level had lowered enough that Blake could see several scars on Neo's upper back. She idly traced her fingers along one of the scars, lightly scratching at the edges. She then moved her fingers around Neo's entire back, noting the distinct differences in feeling between the scar tissue and the rest of Neo's skin. The scars were rough, the surface of the skin raised slightly, but the rest of Neo was smooth, and far softer than Blake had thought it would be.

Neo felt what Blake was doing and immediately tensed up. She snapped from relaxed to full alertness in a second, her body involuntarily reacting to the feeling of another person's hands. Her brain was screaming at her to get out of the bath water, but her body wouldn't respond to its commands. The stress caused her to start hyperventilating, her breathing growing more labored by the second. Her vision became unfocused and she felt her body start to shake. Hoping that Blake hadn't noticed Neo squeezed her hands so tightly she was afraid her fingers might break, digging her nails into her palm as she attempted to force herself to calm down.

Blake sensed Neo was suddenly struggling for some reason, and tried to think of a way she could help. Panicking, Blake did the only thing she could think of. She wrapped Neo in a gentle hug and whispered into her ear 'Neo, it's just me. It's Blake. Everything's ok. You're fine, you're safe. No one can hurt you now, I promise," then pressed a gentle kiss to Neo's upper spine. Blake voice was soft, calming, her words filled with her affection and love for the girl in front of her.

Blake's words, combined with the feeling of her lips on Neo's back, started slowly having an effect. Her breathing started to calm, slowly going from erratic to a healthier, more normal pace. Her muscles gradually relaxed, her body growing less tense. She tried breathing slowly, deeply, hoping to bring her heartrate down to a normal level. For almost 10 minutes both girls sat there, the sounds of Neo's slow and quiet breathing filling the otherwise silent bathroom. Once Neo felt confident in her ability to speak, she mumbled out a quiet "Thank you."

Blake, worried about how bad Neo's reaction was, asked "Should I warn Yang about not touching your scars?"

Neo, taking a moment to think of an answer, responded "I think it should be fine if you warn me next time. I just wasn't prepared for it, that's all. A _nd being in the bath is probably the main issue anyway._ "

Blake, still a little worried, asked "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. But I think we should get out soon, the water's getting cold."

"Ok" Blake said, making to rise out of the water. Neo quickly spun in her embrace and dragged her back down, saying "Oh no, now it's time for your part of the deal." Nodding, Blake handed her the shampoo and conditioner before closing her eyes. Several seconds later Neo hadn't done anything, and based on the lack of sound also hadn't moved. Now worried, Blake opened her eyes and was greeted with the sight of a very confused Neo, who was staring at the two bottles in her hands like they were written in foreign language.

Resisting the urge to chuckle at Neo's face, Blake cleared her throat to get her attention and said "Just repeat what I did. Soak, conditioner, shampoo, rinse. OK?" Neo nodded and began following Blake's instructions. After thoroughly soaking Blake's head she filled her hands with a large glob of conditioner and slowly worked the product into Blake's hair. Her touch, a bit too rough at first, slowly turned into gentle ministrations that had Blake purring with delight. The throaty moan spurred Neo on, encouraging her to continue. Eventually she remembered she had a job to do and rinsed Blake's hair before applying the shampoo, continuing her massaging of Blake's scalp.

All too soon Neo was done, and stepped out of the tub without another word. She grabbed her towel off the rack and wrapped it around her body, intending to get out of the bathroom as fast as possible. Her efforts were in vain, as Blake wasn't done with her yet. She grabbed Neo's towel with her right hand and pulled it to the ground. Her other hand landed on Neo's lower back, pulling the once again naked girl hard against her body. Before Neo could utter a word of protest Blake sealed her mouth with a gentle kiss.

Neo's protest died in her mouth at the feeling of Blake's soft lips pressed against hers. Blake was kissing her gently, lovingly, with a soft sweetness. Her kisses were like a drug that Neo couldn't get enough of. Every time she got another taste her addiction only got worse, it grew day by day. Neo was already an addict, and she didn't mind a single bit.

Seeking a stronger ecstasy she wrapped both her arms around Blake, pulling her closer and angling her head to the side, deepening the kiss. She felt Blake's right hand, which had been hanging at her side, move to Neo's hair and entangle itself in her soft tresses. Her other hand grew adventurous and started wandering, moving from Neo's lower back to her naked rear before gently squeezing. Neo moaned in Blake's mouth, convincing Blake to squeeze harder, which made Neo moan again.

When breathing eventually became a requirement Neo broke the lip lock, both girl's breathing heavily. Neo, still unsure what had just happened, asked "What was that for?"

Blake smiled mischievously before answering "That was because you did such a good job washing my hair." She moved her head forward, till her mouth was next to Neo's ear, and continued "And _this_ is because I want to." Her words were low and sensual, sending a fire into Neo's blood.

Blake began nibbling onto Neo's earlobe, her previous experience in the movie theatre telling her that the girl was highly sensitive. Based on the moans Neo was now letting out, her assumption was highly accurate. After several seconds Blake moved her mouth and started moving down Neo's face, pressing feather kisses onto every inch of skin she could reach. Continuing her progression downward, Blake lightly kissed at the side of Neo's neck.

By this point Neo's was no longer moaning, her breathing coming so fast that she was unable to make a sound. She was barely able to think, her mind overwhelmed by the pleasure of the situation. The only thing that she knew was that she never wanted it to end. The feeling of Blake's naked body pressed against her, combined with the feeling of Blake's hand on her ass and her mouth kissing her neck, was unlike anything she had ever felt.

Taking a risk, Blake switched from kissing to nibbling, then lightly sucked on Neo's neck. Neo tightened her grip on Blake's back, her nails digging into flesh as she lost herself in the sensation, which encouraged Blake to suck harder. She wanted to leave a mark, something that Neo would see every time she looked in the mirror. A constant reminder that she had people that cared about her. That, and she wanted everyone to know that Neo was at least partially hers. _Knowing Yang, she's going to put an even bigger one on the other side of her neck. She can never resist one-upping anybody._

Opening her eyes and drawing back for a moment, Blake took a look at her work. A purple blemish the size of a quarter was now present on Neo's neck. It stood out like a beacon on the girl's otherwise milky white skin. As Blake was admiring her work Neo was busy breathing, trying to calm her heart before the overworked organ simply gave out entirely.

As she continued to stare, Blake realized that she needed to stop now, before they went any farther. She wasn't sure if Neo would try to stop her or encourage her to keep going, but either way she wouldn't betray Yang like that. They had agreed a long time ago that when it came to Neo losing her virginity, she and Yang would do it together. The three of them were equals in this relationship, and for a moment like that leaving one person out would be unforgiveable.

Blake untangled herself from Neo, grabbed her towel from the rack and wrapped it around her body. Neo could see from the look in her eyes that the fun was over, for now at least. Both girls walked into the bedroom and changed into their comfortable clothes: sweatpants and an old ratty shirt for Neo, a black nightgown for Blake. The bedroom clock read 4, meaning they had two hours to kill until Yang got back from work.

Blake, who was currently re-reading the Game of Thrones series for the third time, decided there were worse ways to kill two hours. Neo, unable to endure another marathon of Law and Order, borrowed several of Blake's books, eventually settling on Dune. Both girls settled themselves on the couch, each praying that time would pass quickly.

Time, unfortunately, was not on their side. It seemed determined to make two hours feel like two lifetimes, with each tick of the clock taking what felt like an eternity to pass. Blake tried to become engrossed in the paperback she held in her hands, but to no avail. She constantly fidgeted, unable to sit still or find a comfortable position. Her eyes constantly shifted from the clock to her book and back again, unable to settle for any length of time.

Neo was faring even worse than Blake, if that was possible. She was unable to sit still, moving around the entire apartment in a constant flurry of activity. She spent a few minutes in the kitchen making coffee, which only made her jitters even worse, before moving back to the living room. She repeated this several times in as many minutes, growing more agitated with each passing second. Despite Blake's reassurances, she was still worried that Yang was mad at her.

By the time 5pm had passed Neo had started irritating Blake. She had tried gently reassuring Neo that Yang wasn't mad, but if anything that only made Neo's agitation even worse. And it was beginning to fray at Blake's patience. Currently Neo was sitting at the kitchen table reading, her fingers drumming across the table The constant sound was beginning to drive Blake insane, but she tried to endure it as best she could. The last thing Neo needed was another person angry at her.

Neo then committed what Blake considered a cardinal sin: she dropped the book on the ground, bending the cover back and ruining several of the pages. All the irritation Blake had been holding in for the past hour exploded out as she yelled at Neo "What are you doing?"

Neo, unaware of what exactly she had done, said "It was an accident. Besides, it's just a book."

"Just a book," Blake echoed, "JUST A BOOK?. It's not just a book, it's one of my favorite books. And you threw it on the ground like it was trash."

"It was an accident," Neo retorted, her own anger rising. She couldn't understand why Blake was so mad at her, and it was not helping her already frayed nerves. "Look, I'm sorry. Can we please just forget about it?"

"No we can't just forget about it. You know how you obsessively care for your knives? How you always clean them, and don't like anyone touching them or dirtying them?" Blake's said, her voice growing quiet, her words carrying an undertone of barely controlled rage. Neo slowly nodded, prompting Blake to continue "Well that's how I feel about my books. I take good care of them for a reason. They're important to me. And you just dropped it on the floor, like it was a piece of garbage."

Understanding slowly dawned as Neo's face as she processed what Blake said. She had always assumed that Blake's books were just things, objects that she could replace at any book store in the country. But, she reasoned, the same thing could be said about her knives or Yang's motorcycle to a lesser degree. Objects were important because people viewed them as important, and because of the emotions and memories those objects represented. Not because of how much money they were worth.

"I'm sorry, and this time I mean it. Is there any way I can make it up to you?" Neo asked, now calm and desperate for a way to make it up to Blake.

Blake's reply went unspoken, however, because without warning the apartment door opened and in walked one very sweaty Yang Xiao Long. She was dressed in her traditional gym outfit, spandex shorts and a tang top with a sports bra underneath. Her hair was soaked, her clothes were stained and sweat ran in rivulets down her face and body. Seeing Neo and Blake's shocked faces, she ceased her panting long enough to explain "Bus was taking too long. I ran home." Before continuing to take in deep breaths, trying to recover from her long run back to the apartment. Even for Yang, who was in excellent shape, it was a hard workout.

Neo recovered first, and walked slowly towards Yang. All the anxiety she had been repressing came running back, coursing through every fiber of her being. Her voice took on a pleading tone, her words quiet and laced with fear "Yang please…"

"Don't," the blonde said, holding up a hand to silence Neo. Having finally caught her breath, she stood up and looked down at Neo's now terrified face. "I have spent the last four hours doing nothing but punching my idiotic students and running through half of Vale. And I spent every second thinking about what you said." Yang took a breath, as she was still a little winded and couldn't get out her entire statement in one breath.

Neo, however, took it as a sign that Yang was mad at her, well and truly furious. _I knew Blake was lying, she hates me now._ This confirmed to Neo that she had screwed everything up, that she had irrevocably ruined their relationship. Tears formed in her eyes as her mind ran through what her future would entail, She was going to be thrust back into that cold and lifeless world, though this time she would know that she had had a chance at happiness, and she had thrown it away.

What yang said next, however, was the last thing she had expected. "I'm willing to trust you. On one condition. You promise to tell us everything, THE SECOND you are done dealing with whatever the hell your issue is. Got it?" She grabbed Neo's shirt and pulled her up and forward till Neo's head was inches from Yang's. Yang stared directly into Neo's eyes, making sure that Neo couldn't look away. She had to make sure Neo understood how serious Yang was taking this.

"I promise" Neo said. Externally her face and tone were grave, but internally she was jumping for joy. _Yang isn't mad at me, YANG isn't mad at me, YANG ISN'T MAD AT ME!._ She felt tears forming in her eyes again, this time from happiness and relief. And in that moment Neo felt a sense of hope rising in her chest. She felt that she could endure anything, bear any burden, as long as she had Blake and Yang to help her bear the weight.

Yang smiled, her face lighting up, and she said "Good" before pulling Neo forward, kissing her hard on the lips while wrapping the girl tightly in her arms. Neo felt all her fear, all the anxiety from the last few days evaporate at the feeling of Yang's arms wrapped tightly around her. She lost herself in the feeling of being wrapped in the blonde's strong yet somehow gentle embrace.

And in that moment nothing in Neo's world mattered except for Yang. The feeling of her lips, the touch of her arms, the intoxicating warmth of her presence. The blonde was a drug, just like Blake. But less of a gentle sweetness and more of a fiery passion that consumed her entire being. Yang made Neo's blood boil, she burned away every thought in her brain, set every nerve ablaze. Her dependence on Yang and Blake, her need for their presence, their touch, their lips, was growing with every second. Neo felt herself turning into a hopeless addict for both girls, and she didn't mind in the slightest.

 _Author's notes_

 _You all thought this chapter was going to end in some passionate bathroom lovemaking, didn't you? Well too bad, that would be way too easy. The first time is going to involve all three of them, I can guarantee you that much._

 _I know we haven't had much NeoxYang yet, so expect next chapter to fix that glaring oversight. It hasn't been intentional, the story just sort of flowed in that direction. For some reason? As for the eventually promised 3-way, don't get your hopes up. I'm not that nice._

 _Feedback is definitely appreciated, and I will try to respond as fast as possible. Bring me your grammatical errors, your plot holes, your crazed guesses and general thoughts. No matter what they are, anything and everything is welcome._


	7. Marking Your Territory

_First off, there is a relatively small bumblebee smut scene in the beginning. It does nothing really important for the plot, mostly just practice for stuff I have planned later on that is actually plot important. It's marked off with lines so you can avoid it if you want to._

 _Second: sorry for the delay, again. But this current schedule of an update every two weeks or so is going to be the norm for a while, at least until work calms down. That and writing this was more difficult than normal. It meant for it to be shorter, but it kinda got away from me._

 _Third: I probably don't say this enough, but thank you all for your support. From those first initial readers to the people who are just discovering this, THANK YOU. Hope to not disappoint._

 _Today's chapter brought to you by water. Remember, drink it regularly if working outside. Otherwise you wake up in the hospital while undergoing treatment for dehydration (which is expensive as fuck. Thank god for health insurance.)_

 _Cover art commissioned and completed by jo3mm. You can find them on tumbler, same name_

 _This is probably the most sickly-sweet situation I have ever seen_ Blake thought as she watched Yang and Neo kiss. On the one hand it was wonderful that Yang wasn't mad at Neo; she had said as much in her text, but Blake had her doubts. Once Yang got really angry, calming her down was difficult at best and nearly impossible at worst. She would be constantly on edge for days, ready to blow up at the slightest provocation. Her students always knew when she had had a bad fight with Blake, because her training sessions changed from merely hard to borderline torture. By the end of each day they would be more bruise then skin and their eardrums sometimes ruptured as a result of the blonde's constant yelling. So the fact that she had calmed down was amazing, although Blake hoped she hadn't broken anyone's bones in the process.

On the other hand, Yang stunk. Badly. Given the fact that she had run home from the gym, which was close to 15 miles away, a little odor was to be expected. But Blake was 5 ft. away and could still smell her. _How is Neo not dying right now? She hasn't been able to breathe through her mouth since they started, shouldn't she be choking to death right now?_

Of course, Neo had noticed the smell, it was impossible not to. Yang reeked as badly as an alcoholic during their first week of sobriety for the first time in 20 years. But as bad as it was, it was nothing compared to the constant sights and smells of her childhood. So while it was unpleasant, kissing Yang was far more important. Ignoring her nose, Neo tightened her grip on the blonde, pulling them into even closer contact. Yang's presence was like being around a living fire and she would melt Neo if she wasn't careful. She was extremely grateful that Yang was as strong and tall as she was, otherwise Neo would have fallen over by now, her legs having given out the second Yang began kissing her.

Meanwhile, Yang was having issues of her own. Namely standing. Her legs, already tired from the long run back to the apartment, had chosen that particular moment to begin buckling. But she ignored the pain, ignored the fatigue, ignored everything but the girl currently wrapped in her arms.

Eventually both girls broke apart, breathing heavily. Blake took this chance to clear her throat, getting their attention, before saying "Ok, now both of you need to shower. Neo since you always take quick showers, go first."

Neo nodded and walked towards the bedroom, getting a change of clothes before going into the bathroom. The instant the bathroom door shut and the water started running, Yang looked at Blake and asked "Did it work?"

Blake nodded, a huge grin breaking out on her face, before saying "Oh, it worked all right."

Yang shook her head slightly, chuckling at the look on Blake's face before asking "You lucky little kitty kat, you got to see her naked before I did. How did she look?"

"Better than you could possibly imagine." Her smile faded slightly as she remembered the scars on Neo's body. Her tone switched from playful to serious, "Neo still has a lot of scars, mostly on her chest and back. And don't touch them without warning her first. I made that mistake in the bathroom. She started freaking out. Her breathing was labored, her entire body tensed up, like she was about to run but couldn't move. It took her a good 10 minutes to calm down."

Yang's eloquent reply was a quiet "Shit, that's bad." She fell silent for a few moments before continuing "I can ask Ruby about that, see if she has any ideas. Hopefully all those nursing textbooks were worth the money."

Blake nodded, then said "We need to talk about this later, privately." Yang nodded in response, both girls falling silent for a few moments, before Blake asked "Do you have a plan for tomorrow while I'm at work?"

Yang cheerfully replied "Nope! But I'm sure I can think of something. We still going to Ruby's tomorrow night?"

Blake nodded, saying "Yeah. You guys go whenever, I'll meet you there when I get out. Emilia's cooking dinner, right?"

Yang shrugged, then said "Weiss hasn't told me anything different." Her words grew quieter as she continued, asking Blake "Should we, you know, warn Neo about Summer?"

Blake emitted a quick chuckle before answering "And miss out on Neo's face? Are you kidding me? I wouldn't miss that for the world."

"Not that, the other thing" Yang hissed, praying that Neo's shower wasn't going to end anytime soon.

Realization dawned on Blake's face as she understood what Yang was talking about, and her face grew serious. She took a breath and let it out, sighing as she said "I had half forgotten about it. It's been what, 4 years since the accident?"

"About that long, yeah. Should we bring it up, or wait till we get to Ruby's place and have them tell her about it?" Yang asked, dreading Blake's answer. She didn't want to talk about what happened with Summer, but if Blake wanted to she would support her 100%.

"It's not our place to talk about it, so we won't." Blake answered, bringing a sigh of relief from Yang. "Ruby can tell her tomorrow, I'm pretty sure Summer won't be back till late."

"Good" Yang replied. "Now, where's my welcome back kiss." As she said this, she started advancing towards Blake, her arms widening in a predatory stance. Blake started backing away, not wanting to have Yang's stink on her clothing. Thankfully Neo saved her by walking out of the shower, signaling it was now Yang's turn. The blonde grabbed her lazy-day clothing and advanced towards the shower while Blake began getting dinner ready. Given how tired everyone was, especially Yang, something too heavy would put them all to sleep. After a few minutes of silent deliberation she settled on pasta: it was quick, easy and she could make enough of it to feed 10 people as easy as 3. Given how hungry Yang was going to be, she doubled the usual amount. She filled the largest pot in the kitchen with water, added some salt and set it on the stove. Then she waited.

/

Yang finished up her shower at the same time the water began to boil. She stepped out of the bathroom to find Neo passed out on the couch and Blake inserting pasta into a pot on the side of the stove. Sensing her chance she quickly walked over to Blake, who failed to notice the blonde's footsteps. Yang grabbed Blake by her shoulders and spun her around, sealing her mouth with a gentle kiss before she could offer any protests.

For Yang kissing Blake felt as good as kissing Neo, but for different reasons. Neo liked to be enveloped, to be wrapped in an embrace while being kissed passionately. It made her feel safe and loved. She had a home in her or Blake's arms, a place of warmth and acceptance. And she always responded in kind, pulling her partner closer and refusing to let go until the last possible second.

Blake, on the other hand, liked a slow, gradual increase in the intensity of the kiss, a buildup of passion till she was literally exploding with it. Yang started off gently, slowly moving her arms around Blake's back while pushing her against the countertop. She started rubbing Blake's back, running her hands up and down in long slow strokes, eliciting moans that were muffled by Yang's mouth. Several minutes later she felt Blake hop backwards onto the counter-top next to the stove and wrap both her arms around Yang's neck while simultaneously wrapping her legs around Yang's lower back, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss. By this point both girls were moaning heavily.

Blake broke the kiss and quietly said "Please." Her words were low, husky, the want behind them evident. Yang felt her blood turn to liquid fire in her veins. Blake sounded so needy, so desperate for the release that she could give her. Hoping to keep this as fast and quiet as possible she resumed kissing Blake while slipping her hand under Blake's nightgown. Finding her core, Yang slowly ran her fingers around Blake's outer lips, then teased Blake's clit with her thumb. Blake moaned in her mouth, prompting Yang to take her index finger and begin slowly inserting into Blake up to her first knuckle, but no farther. It was clear that this needed to be hard and fast, but there was no reason that she couldn't tease Blake a little.

After several seconds of no further movement Blake grew impatient. Taking a risk, she broke the kiss long enough to moan "Don't Tease" before slamming her mouth back onto Yang's, trying her hardest to avoid waking Neo. Blake's legs tightened around Yang as she tried to force her hand deeper, make her go faster. Yang readily complied, shoving her index and middle finger into Blake before drawing backward and repeating, thrusting her fingers as she continuously rubbed Blake's clit with her thumb.

Several minutes of constant thrusting later, Blake could feel herself shaking with arousal, her impending orgasm quickly approaching. She would never admit it out loud, but part of her loved when Yang had control over her like this. She was putty in her hands, to be shaped or molded as the artist desired. The blonde knew all the ways to tease her, to extend and slow her release. Normally Yang would draw this out for as long as possible, forcing Blake to beg before finishing her off, but this was a special circumstance.

Yang was of course enjoying this immensely. The feeling of Blake's inner walls clamping down on her fingers and her constant moaning into Yang's mouth was an immense turn on. What Yang enjoyed most, however, was how Blake gave up all pretense of self-control around Yang. Even after they had begun dating Blake was careful to maintain her outward persona, never letting the mask she wore slip up for a second. But over time Yang had gradually peeled it away and revealed the true Blake that had laid dormant beneath the surface. The girl who cried for her parents when she thought no one was watching and donated money to the homeless even if it meant she would have to go hungry. Who seemed aloof and uncaring but was in reality desperately searching for friends, people she could actually trust. And the trust she had in Yang was evident in how readily she surrendered her body to Yang's careful ministrations, trusting that she would never hurt her.

As both girls were consumed with each other, lost in their own private world, Neo was quietly becoming increasingly horrified. Not at current sexual antics she was witnessing: after the first time she had walked in on Blake and Yang "having a moment" she had gotten used to it fast. She had to, since Yang was a very physical person. Recently she had taken to watching them discreetly, hoping to pick up some ideas. Sooner or later, and given what had happened the last few days it was more likely sooner than later, she would take that last step with Blake and Yang. But not at this moment, since she had a far larger problem.

Namely the spaghetti pot. Blake had put the lid on it before becoming involved with Yang, and it was currently boiling over everywhere. Based on Neo's mental math, she had about 60 seconds to get that lid off or the pasta would be horribly overcooked. Which meant that dinner would be ruined, something she could not let happen. She was way too hungry to wait for food any longer.

While Neo began quietly working her way over to the stove, Yang and Blake were finishing up. Blake was roughly digging her nails into Yang's back, which was her signal that she was close. Worried about Blake's proximity with the cabinets, Yang took her other hand and placed it on the back of Blake's head. Then she sped up her efforts, thrusting for several seconds before burying her fingers in deep and curling upward, hitting Blake's sweet spot.

That did it. Blake let loose a loud moan and started climaxing, her legs crushing Yang to her as her body started shaking. Her muscles tightened and relaxed uncontrollably, her vision dimmed to nothing but the blonde in front of her. Her head would have slammed into the cabinets behind her if not for Yang's hand keeping her head steady. Her mind went blank, her only thought being _Yang!Yang!Yang!._

Yang always loved watching Blake's eyes as she came. Her eyes lit up like there were a thousand fireworks going off in her head in an instant, though according to Blake her entire mind went blank from the sheer pleasure of the whole experience. Even with her mouth muffling Blake's moans there was no doubt that by now Neo was awake. Assuming that she had been asleep in the first place, something Yang doubted.

Eventually Blake came back to reality, still softly kissing Yang. She recovered enough to talk, and whispered "That was amazing." Her voice was warm, her face serene as she enjoyed the pleasant aftereffects. For approximately four seconds. Then the oven timer went off, causing both girls to jump and Blake to screech "crap, dinner." They turned their heads towards the stove.

To see Neo stirring the pasta, an apologetic expression on her face. Her only explanation was "it was going to get all soggy."

Dinner was a short affair, each girl having their own reasons for eating as fast as possible. Blake and Neo wanted to get to movie movie while Yang was simply starving. Which was the only explanation she could offer after eating five plates of pasta in the time it took Neo to eat one. And no one wanted to talk about what had just occurred, the general consensus being to just forget it ever happened. Like the last dozen or so times Neo had caught Blake and Yang in a compromising situation.

/

Half an hour later the dishes were done and all three girls were firmly entrenched on the couch. Yang was in the middle, with Blake and Neo on either side. The popcorn was made, the drinks were filled with ice and all three girls were ready for the movie to begin. Yang was looking forward to the movie, since she had always loved the Lion King, but more of her was Blake was looking forward to proving Yang wrong once again while Yang was looking forward to the movie, since she had always loved the Lion King.

But both of them were looking forward to Neo's reaction. They were hoping that the movie would get her to cry at least a few tears and maybe full on sobbing into one of their shoulders, for two reasons. One being that while Neo had been distracted they had made a second bet, each girl thinking it was them that Neo would to for comfort, so money was now on the line. The other being that comforting Neo was quickly becoming something that Yang and Blake enjoyed doing as much as possible. They wanted to make up for all the times Neo had no one in her life by being there for her every time she needed someone, anyone.

Meanwhile Neo was excited about the movie because Blake and Yang were excited about the movie. She figured that if they thought it was important for her to watch it then she had no reason not to. So as the opening credits ran her entire attention was fixed on the screen, oblivious to the two sets of eyes that were watching her face with the same intensity.

Blake and Yang shared a pair of wide grins at Neo's reaction to the opening song and Simba's early childhood life. Her face glowed with a sense of child-like wonder and enjoyment. Her face almost seemed to age backwards: all the stress and worry lines that were always so prominent on her forehead disappeared as her eyes grew wide and joyful. Had she known the lines to the songs she would have been singing along with the little lion and his animal friends. As it was she just sat back and enjoyed the show.

Her joy lasted until the gazelle scene. She could do nothing but watch in horror as Scar brutally murdered his brother. That act alone, combined with Simba's desperate pleading, was enough to rip her heart in two. But then Scar took it up another notch and convinced the poor broken cub that it was his fault, that _he_ had been the one that killed his father. That _everything_ was his fault. At that point Neo's heart shattered into pieces so small she was sure it could never be put back together. Tears ran down her face in torrents of water, the sounds of her loud sobbing blocking out the sounds of the television as the poor little lion wandered aimlessly through the desert.

Thankfully Blake had the presence of mind to pause the movie while Neo swiftly turned in her seat and grabbed the nearest warm body, which just happened to be Yang. She latched on tight enough to leave the blonde breathless, her hot tears soaking into Yang's shirt and chest as she poured her heart out. Blake, unable to simply stand by and watch Neo suffering, wrapped her in a hug from behind, gently whispering empty words of comfort into her ear. Yang remained silent but began softly stroking Neo's hair in an attempt to provide some reassurance. Both girls were surprised by the intensity of Neo's reaction; they had expected a few tears at least, but this amount was beyond anything they had expected.

Unbeknownst to both girls their actions were only making Neo cry harder. Their affection and kindness was overwhelming her, the outpouring of emotions she was feeling reducing most of her mind to an endless expanse of sadness. The rational part of her mind that was still functioning understood her somewhat excessive reaction perfectly; she was crying for her parents.

For most of her childhood she had wondered about who her parents were and why they had abandoned her. But she had buried it a long time ago for a simple reason: the hope that they would one day come for her was simply too painful. Even as a child it had been a constant ache in her chest, a source of agony they she refused to let go of no matter how badly it made her bleed. She had spent many nights in the orphanage crying herself to sleep, wishing with her whole being that she had a mother or father to hold her and chase away the loneliness. But when she had been taken by Torchwick she had been forced to discard all vulnerability to simply survive. She hadn't thought of her parents again till mere moments ago. In an instant all the scar tissue she had built up had been ripped away and even now it still _hurt._

After what felt like an eternity Neo felt like she had no more tears left in her body, by which point her crying had slowed to a few gentle sobs. As awareness slowly returned she realized that Blake and Yang were still holding her tightly but and hadn't stopped their efforts to comfort her in the slightest. _I don't deserve them_ Neo thought as she realized how lucky she was to have Blake and Yang in her life. Both girls did so much for her, had supported her without even needing to be asked so many times and asked for nothing in return.

As she continued thinking about them Neo felt something stir deep in her chest, some new emotion that she could not identify. It wasn't affection or lust; those emotions Neo was well acquainted with. It was something different, more complex and so overwhelming she was surprised her heart hadn't burst from trying to contain it. It was somehow both gentle and fierce, calm one moment and violently turbulent the next. It was like an endless ocean: massive, unfathomable, and so deep that she had no idea where the bottom was. But at the same time it was almost insubstantial: the harder she tried to understand it, the more it seemed to slip away from her. And within a few short moments it was almost completely gone. But a piece remained: the equivalent of a small candle to an unstoppable forest fire, but it was there, burning in her heart. And a small part of her knew that it would only grow with time until it became what it once was.

The entire time Neo had been going through her self-realization process, Blake and Yang had been quietly watching her, trying to figure out what they should do next. They saw a myriad of emotions play across her face ranging from confusing to joy, but what surprised them most was the brief flash of love they had seen in her eyes. It was there and gone in the span of a single breath, but both girls had seen it plain as day. Yang flashed Blake a quick glance, both of them wordlessly communicating to each other to discuss the topic at a later time, in private. Both girls correctly believed that Neo was still not comfortable enough with vulnerability to admit to _herself_ that she was in love with Blake and Yang, much less out loud for the rest of the world to hear and know. But they were willing to wait as long as necessary to finally hear her say those three magical words.

Without warning Neo bolted up and into the kitchen, the overwhelming thirst from the crying finally hitting her. She grabbed a glass and filled it with water, chugging the contents down without pausing to breathe. Four glasses later she returned to the room to find both girls staring at her, confusion openly displayed on their faces confusion.

Neo looked at them both for a moment before shakily saying "I…Can we talk about this later? Please." Her body had unconsciously tensed up. Like a rabbit that had just gotten the scent of a predator, she was one second away from bolting.

Yang nodded, followed immediately by Blake. At their confirmation Neo visibly relaxed, then asked "Can we finish the movie?"

Concern flashed across Yang's features as Blake leaned forward and replied "Are you sure you can handle it?" The level of affection and worry in her voice made pause for a moment as she considered her emotional state. After a moment she nodded and said "I think so. If I want to stop I will let you know."

Yang moved slightly to the left, opening up Neo's previous spot to her once again. She sat down, leaning into the blonde's side. Yang affectionately wrapped an arm around Neo, drawing her even close, as the movie started up again. For the rest of the movie Neo's reactions were more subdued but it was clear she was enjoying herself.

/

Throughout the movie Yang idly ran her fingers through Blake and Neo's hair, enjoying the small differences of their soft tresses. Blake's hair was like animal fur, smooth and soft to the touch. Neo's hair was rougher, coarser, but felt wonderful nonetheless. Neither girl minded much: Yang's hands were magical. They both secretly adored the gentle feeling of her fingers scratching their scalp. It was relaxing, almost too relaxing for either girl to handle

By the time it hit 10pm Blake and Neo were passed out, the combination of the day's events, Yang's hands and lack of sleep finally taking their toll. Each girl had snuggled into Yang soon after falling asleep, burrowing themselves into her side, trying to get as close to her as possible. Yang looked at them both, a sleepy smile on her face. Seeing her girlfriends resting peacefully, their faces untroubled by worry or memories of the past, filled her with an endless wellspring of happiness.

Yang was suddenly glad that she, Blake and Neo had their somewhat unique relationship. Because if Yang ever had to choose, she wasn't sure she would be able to. And no matter what her choice was, it would have torn her in two. Both girls could claim ownership over her heart, and she knew it was the same for them as well. Part of her was worried about what would happen if this didn't end up working out, but at that moment such fears were in a far distant future.

Focusing on the present, Yang gently untangled herself from the couch, making sure to gently lower Blake and Neo down before carrying them to bed. She went back to the living room, checking each window lock and the bolts on the door, something Blake normally did. Finding them all secure, she returned to the bedroom, her exhausted body crying out for some sleep. She set the alarm for Blake, then collapsed onto the bed, her eyes shutting as soon as her head hit the pillow. The last thing she felt before sleep took her was Neo snuggling up against her.

/

The morning was routine, if a bit subdued because everyone was still behind on their sleep. The alarm went off at 6, dragging all three girls out of sleep's peaceful embrace and back into the world of the living. Blake lazily stretched before heading for the shower, the scorching hot water being the only thing able to properly wake her up. Afterwards, she returned to the bedroom to find Yang and Neo sprawled out on the bed, both having fallen back asleep. The sight was adorable, and normally Blake would let them sleep. _But if I have to be awake for work, so do they_.

Waking Neo up was simple. The girl shot up as soon as Blake shook her for a second, her eyes half panicked before she recognized her surroundings. She let out a huge yawn and wandered off towards the kitchen, muttering something about coffee while Blake started trying to wake Yang up. Over the months she had gone through a dozen methods of waking the blonde up. Plugging her nose had proven to be the most effective method, and once again it worked like a charm. Thankfully, Yang didn't accidentally hit Blake, this time anyway.

Now that both girls were wide awake, Blake started getting breakfast ready. Which meant pulling milk and fruit out of the fridge while Neo grabbed some bowls and Yang poured cereal. Blake looked at the clock, cursed loudly, then scarfed down a bowl of cereal before sprinting out of the apartment, muttering something about being late again. Neo and Yang lounged around for a while, Neo reading and Yang trying to figure out what she wanted to do for the day. _We already saw a movie, Neo hates shopping, or crowded areas for that matter. So what to do, what to do…._

Inspiration struck, and Yang turned to Neo to ask "Neo, when was the last time you went to the gym?"

Neo, who had never been to the gym, didn't look up from her book as she responded "Never, why?"

Horrified by her answer, Yang said "Well today we're fixing that. Get some clothes on, time for you to see where I work."

"Yang, that's a terrible idea. You worked yesterday, and ran back here. If you overexert yourself today and pull something, Blake will kill you. Then me, for not stopping you." Neo responded, still not looking up from her book.

"Well too bad, cause we're going. Now get up, bus comes by in 20." Yang went to pack her exercise bag, since she doubted any of the gym's work uniforms would fit Neo. Neo let out a resigned sigh, since there was no way she was getting out of this. Once Yang decided to do something, all you could do was follow her or stay out of the way.

/

"So this is where I work. It's not much, I know, but it's pretty cool." Yang said, gesturing to the building in front of her.

Neo took a second to look around, making sure that Yang wasn't talking about some other building, before returning her gaze to the gym in front of her. Apparently not much meant different things to her then it did to Yang. The gym was a sprawling two story complex, the clear glass windows giving a full view of the entrance hall and upstairs jogging track. From what Yang had said about her work, Neo knew that the gym contained a large weight room, several basketball courts and a variety of padded exercise rooms. One of those rooms was where Yang did her job, training her students in the art of punching people as efficiently as possible.

They walked into the building where Pyrrha Nikos, one of Yang's work buddies, was manning the front register. According to Yang, Pyrrha was exceptional for several reasons. The most obvious thing was her appearance: she was taller than Yang by at least half a head, and if Neo was right maybe taller than Cinder. She was muscular, not quite to Yang's level, but it was obvious she had been exercising regularly for years. Combine that with her red hair and piercing green eyes, and this girl would have stood out in any crowd.

The other thing that set her apart was her professional attitude, at least according to Yang. Pyrrha had a reputation for keeping a cool, level head and always being helpful, no matter how aggravating or sexist the gym patrons were being. And based on how often Yang complained about people hitting on her when she was working, Pyrrha probably had to deal with a lot of shitty people. _I don't know how people deal with assholes in their job every day_ Neo thought. _When people piss me off, I just kill them._

Yang walked up to the desk and said "Morning Pyrrha, what's up?"

"Morning Yang. I thought you were off today?" Pyrrha responded, generally confused as to why the blonde was here today. Pyrrha had seen her working with her students yesterday, then watched her sprint off after her shift. She was amazed Yang could even walk.

"My uh…. friend Neo here has never been to a gym before, so I was gonna give a little introduction. Maybe spar for a bit on the mats." Yang said, gesturing to Neo as she talked.

"Ok, let me see…. Room three is going to be open till the Yoga class starts at 5, so you can use that one whenever you feel like. Oh, Cardin and his asshole friends are here. Please be careful, you remember what the manager said, right?" Pyrrha asked, her green eyes betraying a hint of concern.

"Yeah, yeah." Yang muttered, now feeling much less excited.

"Who's Cardin?" Neo asked, already not liking him, based on the disdain Pyrrha's voice held at the mention of his name.

"A bully, a fucking asshole" Pyrrha and Yang said respectively, their voices thick with disgust. Cardin Winchester was both of those things, and worse. He harassed other gym patrons, especially girls, and made the staff's lives miserable. Unfortunately, his father was good friends with the manager, so anyone that messed with him or complained found themselves without a job.

"Great, well good luck today Pyrrha. See you later." Yang said, walking towards the locker rooms to change, Neo following her.

"Don't do anything stupid Yang" Pyrrha called out, worry evident in her voice. She really hoped Yang didn't run into Cardin. She liked working with Yang, and didn't want to see the blonde fired.

Neo and Yang changed into their workout clothes, black gym shorts and tang tops, pink for Neo and yellow for Yang. Yang directed Neo towards the weight room, which was a large two-floored room on the right side of the gym. The lower floor was comprised of a variety of free weights and weight machines, while the upper floor had nothing but treadmills and ellipticals. Both girls headed to the upper floor, Yang explaining that a quick jog was her standard warmup before any weightlifting.

They set a moderate pace, hard enough to get Neo breathing but not so bad they couldn't talk while running. As both girls jogged, their muscles slowly warming up, things started going wrong on the lower level. One of the gym employees, some tall blond guy, was getting harassed by a bunch of bigger looking guys. Based on what Pyrrha had said, Neo figured that the group of guys was Cardin and his friends. But she had no idea who their current target was.

Yang proved herself to be a mind-reader when she said "That's Jaune Arc, he's been here a few months. Not a bad guy, but he's got some major self-esteem issues. Though Cardin doesn't help, he makes Jaune miserable every chance he gets." As she said this, Jaune was forced onto a bench press and given a bar loaded up with what Neo assumed was a lot of weight, since Jaune could barely keep it from crushing him. His arms were trembling with exertion, and the bar was mere inches from his throat. Meanwhile, all the guys surrounding him were laughing.

Neo felt her anger flare at the sight, but there was little she could do from so far away. Thankfully, someone noticed and helped Jaune move the bar up enough that they could set it on the rack. The group of assholes wandered off, and a few minutes later Yang said they could stop running.

Both girls went to the lower level, Yang directing Neo to a series of bars placed at various heights. Her explanation was "You don't want to build muscle, but endurance. So we're going to avoid the weights, for now at least" She gestured to one of the bars right above Neo's head and said "Jump up and grab this." Neo complied, and Yang continued "Pull yourself up till your chin is above the bar, then lower yourself down till your back to this position, arms fully extended. Then repeat."

Neo, still hanging from the bars like a monkey, asked "When do I stop?"

Yang grinned and said "When you feel like you can't hold yourself up for another second, do one more. Then drop down, wait a minute, then do it again. I'll be right over there, using the bench-press. When you can't do at least 5 in one go, come to me. We'll move onto some light weights, then maybe some sparring."

Neo did as she was told, counting out the reps in her head. Yang found an open bench, did a few warm up reps, then loaded up the bench press with close to 300 lbs. She watched Neo out of the corner of her eye, seeing the small girl exert herself. _Her body is there but her eyes are elsewhere. What is she looking at? What is going on behind those eyes?_

Unfortunately, trouble appeared in the form of Cardin Winchester. He had seen Yang working out, and couldn't resist the opportunity. He swaggered over to Yang and said "Hey hot stuff, how's about you and me go a round or two on the mats."

Yang didn't even bother to look at him or stop her workout as she responded, her voice full of disdain "Not after what happened last time. Find someone else." In reality, Yang wanted to tell Cardin to fuck off or better yet punch him in his filthy mouth. He had been constantly hitting on Yang for months, unwilling to take the hint, and it pissed her off to no end. But anything like that would get her in trouble, and they both knew it.

Cardin, unfazed by the blonde's rejection, continued "Well maybe I should ask the manager for a private training session, I doubt he would say… who the heck are you?"

Unbeknownst to Cardin or Yang, Neo had overheard their short, one-sided conversation. She didn't like what she heard, the lecherous grin that was plastered on Cardin's face, or Cardin's existence in general. Since Yang was unable to make him walk away, Neo was going to do it for her.

"She told you to leave her alone. I suggest you listen," Neo said. Her voice was quiet, but Yang could hear the threat behind her words. She was suddenly glad that Neo didn't have any of her knives with her. She hoped.

Cardin, however, remained oblivious to the danger, and said "Fuck off pint size, I'm busy." He didn't consider the small girl standing in front of him a threat, and didn't spare her a second glance before turning back to Yang. Yang's temper flared at what Cardin said. How dare he talk to her girlfriend that way?

Not one to be ignored, Neo tugged on his clothing and said "Maybe you didn't hear me. Leave, before I make you."

Cardin knocked Neo's arm away, then grabbed the front of her shirt, intending to shove her away as well. He got as far as "Oh really, what's a little brat like you…" before a fist with the force of a sledgehammer behind it slammed into his face.

Yang had no idea what she was doing. And she didn't care. Her mind had gone blank the second Cardin had dared to touch Neo. She smashed him on the side of his head, knocking him down. But she made sure to hold back enough so that Cardin was dazed, not unconscious. She needed him awake.

Cardin collapsed on the floor, his head ringing from the blow. The next thing he knew, Yang had picked him up by the neck and slammed him against the wall, the impact jarring him back to full alertness. Yang lowered him till they were eye level, their faces mere inches apart. Cardin looked into Yang's eyes, and what he saw terrified him.

Yang's temper was well known among the normal gym patrons and staff. Something or someone would piss her off, she would explode in a fiery rage, then calm down almost immediately. This time was different, however. She wasn't angry, furious or enraged. Those words didn't even come close to describing the barely restrained violence Cardin saw in Yang's eyes. If her normal anger was a candle, this was an inferno. In his mind Yang was no longer a person but more a force of nature. An unstoppable fire that would destroy everything in its path, starting with him.

Yang began to speak, her voice quiet and measured, as if she was weighing each word before releasing it to the world. Her tone was calm, so calm that Cardin was terrified, and even Neo was slightly scared. "If I ever see you here again, I will beat you so badly even your mother won't be able to recognize your disgusting excuse for a face."

Yang took a moment for her words to sink in, before continuing, her voice growing quieter "If you ever so much as look at her again, I will break every bone in your body, starting with your filthy hands. Then I will hurt you."

Yang paused again, and Cardin felt his blood freeze in his veins. Yang's eyes had changed. They had gone from consumed with rage to empty, devoid of anything. _Her eyes resemble hell frozen over._ No matter how hard Cardin looked, he couldn't find the slightest trace of emotion, the barest hint of the inferno that had consumed them seconds earlier. She wasn't looking at him like he was a person anymore. He was just a thing, an object that had offended her. Something that she would willingly break without a second's hesitation. One wrong move, one misplaced breath, one errant twitch, and he was a dead man.

Yang looked at him, stared straight into his soul with her cold, dead eyes, and whispered "And if you EVER touch her again, I will hunt you down like the rabid dog you are, and I will kill you." Cardin heard the absolute truth in her words, unbreakable as steel and as uncompromising as death itself. Without another word Yang dropped him, and he ran like the pale horseman himself was right on his heels, his friends close behind him.

The gym was silent for maybe 10 seconds, then the entire place started slow clapping their approval.

Without another word Yang left, Neo following close on her heels. Yang directed them both to the empty sparing room, hoping for a bit of privacy. She was still furious over what happened with Cardin, and it frightened Neo. She had seen firsthand what that kind of rage did to you, how it burned a person up from the inside out. She needed a way to release it, somehow. _This is going to hurt._

"Yang" Neo said, the blonde not answering. "Yang….YANG." She shouted, finally getting the blonde's attention. "We're fighting, right now." Yang's face showed a total lack of understanding, so Neo continued "You're angry, really angry. That energy needs to be released, or it will become poison in your veins. So we're fighting."

"Neo, that's a terrible…." Yang started, but Neo wasn't listening anymore. She walked up to Yang and threw a punch, which Yang blocked, shock evident on her face. Neo threw several fast punches, the last one penetrating Yang's guard and hitting her square in her face.

Yang jumped backward, her nose throbbing. She wiped below her nose, and her fingers came away red with blood. She felt her anger flare up, the edges of her vision blurring. All she saw was red, her whole world was drowning in it. She looked at Neo, and spat out "Fine, you want a fight. You got it."

Yang advanced and threw several punches at Neo's head, but the smaller girl dodged around each one, moving a bit closer to Yang with each punch. Yang switched her target area and aimed a low kick at Neo's shin, followed up by several blows to chest and stomach. Again, Neo evaded each blow, a small smile appearing on her face. She slipped into Yang's guard, and the blonde braced for another punch to the face. But instead Neo lightly patted Yang's cheek, and her smile grew wider. She was deliberately trying to mock and enrage Yang, as a matador angers a bull. And it was working, almost too well.

Yang screamed her rage and began blindly attacking Neo, no longer trying to hold back her strength. Her blows grew sloppy, and it became child's play for Neo to evade, even with the blonde's greater speed. Every attack Yang made was heavily telegraphed, so Neo knew what she was going to do as soon as she did it. Which was a good thing, because Neo was afraid that if she got hit she wouldn't be getting back up. Ever. At the same time, Neo didn't strike back. She didn't want to hurt Yang, just help her go back to normal.

To the outside observer the fight would resemble a dance, one partner a graceful pink blur, the other an enraged yellow beast. They moved around the room, a constant entanglement of limbs, each person moving to the other's beat. Yang attacked, and Neo responded, neither person backing down for a second. Throughout the entire ordeal, Neo never stopped looking at Yang's eyes. For a while all she saw was rage, but as the fight dragged on exhaustion began to take its place. Keeping up a constant attack, was taking its toll on Yang, exactly like she wanted, and they both knew it. Neo took several steps back, evading a particularly dangerous right hook, hoping to force Yang to give chase after her across the mats.

"Get back here" Yang shouted, charging towards Neo. Outwardly she was still enraged, but inwardly she was quickly calming down. The reason was simple: no matter what Yang tried, no matter where she aimed or how fast she struck, Neo was one step ahead of her. She dodged around, bobbing and weaving through all of Yang's blows, waiting for the blonde to tire herself out. And it was working, almost too well. The lack of a successful hit forced Yang to calm down, at least enough to come up with a plan. Since Neo was able to evade anything she threw at her, she changed her tactics.

Yang pushed off with her legs, her outstretched arms catching Neo around the waist and tackling her to the ground. She grabbed both of Neo's arms and pinned them above her head while trapping Neo's legs with her own, making sure the smaller girl couldn't move. Yang let her head fall forward till she was mere inches from Neo's face and said "Got you now."

Neo broke out in a smile, her goal achieved. Yang's eyes were no longer clouded or cold, but bright and alive again. The smile unnerved Yang enough for to Neo rip one of her hands free. She grabbed Yang's hair, pulling her down and kissing her softly before saying "Glad you're back. Don't ever scare me like that again."

Yang nodded, then lowered herself and kissed Neo for several seconds before propping herself up on her elbows, her face close enough that she could feel the girl's warm breath on her skin. Neo had a goofy smile on her face, and the sight of it made Yang smile in response. After several seconds she asked Neo "What were you thinking about when you were doing those pull-ups?"

Neo blushed, remaining silent for several seconds. Eventually she answered "You. More specifically your arms."

"My…. Arms?" Yang asked, not sure what Neo was talking about.

"Yeah, your arms. I saw them when you were working out. Those tight, rippling muscles. You're so strong, yet somehow so gentle. I can't figure it out," Neo explained, understanding dawning on Yang's face as she heard Neo's words. But Neo was wrong, Yang was never gentle with her, or Blake for that matter. Both girls simply underestimated themselves. They didn't understand how strong they really were. Not physically strong like Yang, but possessive of an inner strength. Something inside them gave them the ability to endure any burden, withstand anything life put them through and come out on the other side stronger than before.

 _If only they could see themselves through my eyes_ Yang thought. _Every time they look in the mirror all they see is their mistakes, their weakness. I wish they could see their successes, their triumphs. So much of them is good, but all they can see is the bad._ It was an issue Yang struggled with constantly, both Blake and Neo's lack of self-worth. The solution Yang had found was to constantly remind the girls how much she loved them. She showered Blake, and now Neo, with constant affection, trying to make them understand how special they were, how much she valued them. It had worked on Blake, ever so slowly, and Yang was confident that it would work on Neo, given time.

Unable to resist, Yang kissed Neo again, gently pushing her lips against the smaller girl's. She rolled Neo around, wrapping her in her arms, pulling her as close as she could. She wanted to sear the girl's lips with her own, transfer all her warmth into Neo and burn the girl from the inside out.

The kiss grew passionate, becoming more heated as Yang tightened her grip even more. Neo moaned into her mouth, then moved her lips away from Yang's mouth, kissing her way up the side of Yang's face till she reached Yang's ear. Copying what Blake did, Neo began nibbling and sucking on Yang's earlobe, her gentle kissing drove Yang wild with desire. Unable to stand it any longer, Yang pulled Neo back down and kissed her hard. She nibbled on Neo's lower lip before running her tongue along her teeth, asking for invitation. Neo complied, opening her mouth and letting Yang in. Yang gently probed for a few seconds before drawing back out, continuing the kiss.

The sound of the doorknob being turned broke both girls apart, and Yang quickly untangled herself from Neo's limbs. She looked at the door, that at Neo. Mouthing a quick "sorry" Yang lowered herself to the ground, grabbed Neo's arm, and pulled it into an arm bar.

Pyrrha walked in just as Neo started screaming "Tap, Tap, Tap, let go you blonde brute." Based on how much pain Neo's arm was in, Yang wasn't pretending. Pyrrha felt bad for Neo, having been in several fights with Yang before.

Yang asked "Hey Pyrrha, what's up?" while letting go of Neo's arm. Neo sat up, cradling her forearm as she did so. _I really hope this isn't broken_.

"Someone came in and asked to use this room, so I need you two to vacate it. Sorry" Pyrrha said, her face apologetic.

"Nah, its fine. We were just finishing up anyway" Yang responded, standing up and stretching gently.

"Yeah, I can tell, you two look exhausted. Must have been quite a fight." Pyrrha commented, noticing both their faces flushed with what she assumed was exertion.

Yang gave out a nervous chuckle, and said "It was a great...fight." Neo noticed the slight hesitation in Yang's voice, and knew she wasn't talking about the fight. Pyrrha seemed to notice it as well, and looked more closely at Yang, trying to discern if something was off.

Hoping to distract her, Yang said "But we're beat, so we're gonna head out. Thanks for letting us use the room. Oh, we're hanging out at Ruby's tonight if you want to join."

Pyrrha, now sufficiently distracted by Yang's offer, responded "Thanks, but I have a date tonight after work"

"Oh, ok. Did Velvet finally call you back?" Yang asked, happy that Pyrrha was dating again. Her last relationship had lasted more than a year, and the breakup was difficult to say the least. Pyrrha ended up destroying an entire sparring room before she was fully over it.

"Unfortunately she did, it seems she just wants to be friends. No, tonight I have a date with Jaune."

Yang blinked a few times, the words coming out of Pyrrha's mouth not quite processing with her brain. Finally she managed to say "I'm sorry, I must have misheard you. Could you repeat that?"

Pyrrha sighed, she should have known Yang was going to be like this. "Yes, Jaune. We're getting dinner"

"Jaune? As in tall, blonde and clumsy Jaune? As in a guy. I thought you were strictly into women?" Yang replied.

"It hasn't really ever mattered to me." Pyrrha responded. "But most of the guys in my life have been sex obsessed or immature jerks who think I'm nothing but some frail little girl. At least Jaune knows that I can take care of myself."

"Considering how many times you've kicked his ass on the mats, you should be the one taking care of him." Yang mused aloud, then said "Well, I hope things work out. Make sure to tell me allllllll about it tomorrow, ok?" Yang asked, her face breaking out into her trademark smirk.

Pyrrha's face turned beet red at what Yang was insinuating. "It's just dinner Yang, that's it. Nothing else."

"Yeah yeah, that's what you said about Velvet. And look how that turned out. You gave me quite an _earful_ of information"

Pyrrha blushed harder at the memory of that night. Velvet had been shy at first, but when she got a little drunk things changed dramatically. Pyrrha hadn't known what a bunny girl was, and Velvet had been more than happy to show her intimately...

"Hey, you still got that costume? I'm sure Jaune would be interested." Yang said, her voice bringing Pyrrha back to reality. Realizing what the blonde said, she angrily said "I told you that in confidence," looking pointedly at Neo.

Neo, who had given up on following the conversation and was busily stretching on the ground, called out "I see nothing, I hear nothing."

Yang added in "You can trust her, she can keep a secret. Believe me."

"Alright, fine. But we need to go, I was supposed to have you guys out of here by 2, and its 2:05 now."

After leaving the room Pyrrha went back to the front desk while Neo and Yang went to the locker rooms to grab their stuff, Yang saying they would run to Ruby's place and shower there. When Neo tried to object, worried that would be rude, Yang merely said she had done it plenty of times. Neo nodded, and both girls took off at a fast pace, headed towards Ruby's house. Yang tried to talk, since for her this was easy, but Neo was soon so out of breath it was all she could to keep running. The pair lapsed into a comfortable silence, broken by the sounds of the city surrounding them and Neo's heavy breathing. Eventually they made it to Ruby's place, a modest three story brownstone located near Forever Fall's park and a few miles from Vale University.

Neo stopped outside the front steps, her breathing labored from the fast pace Yang had set. Her vision was swimming as she struggled to remain upright, but somehow Yang was barely tired as she walked up to the front door and knocked. A few seconds later it opened and Neo heard a woman say "Hello Yang, I was wondering when you would be over. Is that your roommate that Ruby mentioned?" _I know that voice, Neo thought. But from where?_

Neo straightened and said "Hi I'm Neo, nice to..." She paused at the sight in front of her. One of Cinder's former personal clients, a woman Neo only knew by her face and designation, the letter E, was standing in front of her. "meet you." she finished. _Damn. She obviously knows who I am, her face just went from happy to terrified. Well, shit._

 _Some of you may be wondering "wtf was up with the random, out of nowhere smut scene and/or fight scene." Well, it's practice. They may not have been important for the plot right now, but I have more of these planned further down the line that are plot necessary. So I need to work on them now, buff the edges and get the kinks ironed out. If you have any criticisms, ways I can make them better, stuff to avoid doing, ect, leave a review, send me a message, whatever works for you. All input is appreciated. Thank you!_

 _Again, sorry about the delay. But I'm now doing 12 hour shifts Monday through Friday so my free time is limited to weekends. Gotta pay them bills, since I like having a roof and wifi._

 _For those of you wondering where Ren and Nora are, I have plans for them. They will appear later_

 _Feedback is definitely appreciated, and I will try to respond as fast as possible. Bring me your grammatical errors, your plot holes, your crazed guesses and general thoughts. Any and all questions are welcome, no matter what they are. Unless it ruins the plot._


	8. Mistakes Were Made

Hello there again. So before anything else, I'm going to start endorsing fics at the beginning and end notes. Not fics with hundreds of reviews that are clearly popular, but fics that I personally think are great stories and aren't getting enough attention for whatever reason. That being said, check out the following. (Will put either Fanfiction, A03 or both to specify location)

Bodyshock by YinYangBangBang (mainly freezerburn, BiGender Yang, 80000 words!) Fanfiction

Stay Afloat by Blood Shinobi (PyrrhaxNora (Valkos), 50000 words) Fanfiction

Red Flowers Bloom by sombreromoustache (Pollination aka RubyxBlakexWeissxYang, 20000 words) Fanfiction

Any of the multiple stories written by Xekstrin, A03

Saint's Rose by Latham02 (no ships as of yet, but it's WAY too funny to pass up.) Fanfiction

Second, sorry for the delay, and this shorter length. But this was all I could manage in 3 weeks of smashing my head against the writer's block.

 _Cover art commissioned and completed by jo3mm. You can find them on tumbler, same name_

/

 _It's gonna be one of those days_ Neo thought as she continued to look at the woman she only knew as E. She was a memento from her past, someone that she had never expected to see again. People like her existed in the darkness, the underbelly of society, while people like Blake or Yang and their friends existed in the light. She had figured that E was the same type as her, but based on the now awkward situation they were in, obviously not.

The last time she had seen her, E had been a redhead, but apparently that had been a wig. Now her hair was a mixture of white and black, stylized so well that Neo was unsure what color was natural and what color was fake. Her eyebrows were black but they could be dyed as well, so it told her nothing. Otherwise E was still the same: medium height, slim build, eyes a piercing royal blue. Her face resembled that of a 16th century Victorian high society lady, high cheekbones and all. She was wearing a pale blue sundress, her feet bare and hair slightly tousled.

But there were two main differences as far as Neo could see. The first was her change in health. The last time Neo had seen her, E had been….. gaunt, exhausted, half-starved were the words that came to Neo's mind. Her clothing had told of money but her appearance was that of someone who hadn't eaten a good meal in a month or slept in a week. Her skin was extremely pale, like she was kept inside and unable to leave her house for days or months on end. Her face was covered in bruises, some fresh and others fading. Based on the way she had walked the few times Neo had seen her from a distance, her body was probably worse off than her face. Neo figured that someone was abusing her, or the woman was self-abusive, but either way she was in a very bad place.

Now she looked much better: her skin was flawless and had acquired a healthy tan, her face was bruise free and her body was unmarred, except for a single surgical scar that ran down her lower leg. _She still looks tired, but who doesn't? The world runs on caffeine. And if she lives with Ruby and Weiss, poor woman must run herself ragged._

The other difference was simpler, and probably tied to the first. E actually looked happy, or at least content with her life. It wasn't obvious, as her face was even more closely guarded then Weiss's was when she was at the apartment. It was so cold and emotionless a glacier would be envious. But her eyes contained not a trace of terror, despair, or pain. There was a small amount of fear, but Neo chalked that up to her presence.

A quiet cough from Yang made Neo realize that she had been silently staring at E for almost a minute, and E had been staring right back. Yang looked at the both of them and asked "So, do you two know each other or something? You both look like you've seen a ghost."

E thankfully had no qualms about lying, and quickly responded "Oh, I was just admiring her hair, it's so artfully done. It almost looks like she was born with it. I'm Emilia, Emilia Lund. I've heard so much about you." E, well Emilia, walked toward Neo and extended her hand as she spoke. Her eyes were screaming at Neo, begging her to play along with the charade for now.

Neo responded, shaking Emilia's hand as she said "Neo, nice to meet you." She locked eyes with Emilia, hoping to communicate her willingness to pretend. For now.

The panic in Emilia's eyes receded a little, and released a shaky breath before withdrawing her hand. Turning to Yang, she looked her over and said "You two are covered in sweat, and stink. Come inside. Ruby is showering upstairs, so you'll have to shower downstairs. Neo, you'll have to wait to shower until Ruby gets out." She paused for a second, her words taking on a hidden meaning as she continued "That will give us a little time to talk. Ruby and Weiss didn't have much to tell us, Summer and I have been wondering what Blake and Yang's new roommate is like."

Yang merely shook her head, a small smile on her lips, as she said to Emilia "Don't grill her too hard" before going to the bathroom, a long hot shower sounding like heaven to her tired limbs. Emilia directed Neo towards the kitchen on the right side of the house, pointing her towards one of the chairs around the kitchen table. Without a word she filled a glass with water and shoved it in Neo's hands. Neo chugged it down, and Emilia refilled it, the process repeating itself several times. Her thirst sated, Neo motioned for Emilia to sit down opposite her, hoping to get the conversation out of the way as fast as possible. But as soon as Neo tried to think of something, anything to say, her mind went blank. And based on how Emilia's brow was furrowed, she was having the same issue.

Both women sat at the table for almost a minute, neither of them able to say a word. The atmosphere, tense already with the weight of their past connection, grew heavier with each passing second. A tightness settled over Neo's chest and her breathing grew labored as she struggled to contain her calm. The fact that Emilia knew about Neo's past meant that she had power over Neo, could threaten her with that information if she wanted. The mere thought of her secrets being revealed was causing Neo's stress to build uncontrollably, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could remain calm. Based on how hard it was to keep her breathing steady and her hands from shaking, not much longer.

Neo wasn't sure if it was because of her past, her natural pessimistic attitude or her well-developed sense for danger, but whatever the reason was she had a problem with anxiety. Well it was a problem in the same way that the sun was a little bright or lava was a little hot. Whenever something had even the slightest possibility of going wrong, which was everything, her mind instantly assaulted her with dozens of negative outcomes, each worse than the last. Within seconds her body would be overwhelmed with stress, her entire being unable to make a decision in fear that it was the wrong one. It was something that she had been working on for months, with frustratingly little success. Her only successful method so far was to envision every possible scenario beforehand and think through each one ahead of time, no matter how ridiculous or impossible the premise. It had worked well so far, but never in her wildest dreams had she thought she would find herself in this particular situation. She hadn't been in a position of this much vulnerability in a long time, and she was not coping well.

Emilia's voice cut through the silence and dread in her mind, slicing it to ribbons as she spoke "Weiss is at the vets, if you're wondering." When Neo could only manage a confused "huh?" Emilia elaborated "Weiss took Artemis to the vet for grooming. She's going to bring Blake back with her, so she won't be back until Blake gets out of work. Ruby is going to take at least another 20 minutes for her shower, and if Yang takes under half an hour I'll eat my third best pair of shoes. Which means we have time to talk, alone. So, why did Cinder send you here?"

Neo, now more confused than ever, answered "What makes you think Cinder sent me? And I'm guessing Artemis is your…cat?"

"Dog. More specifically a dark grey corgi. And it's technically Weiss's. Ruby got it as a Christmas present for Weiss soon after they started dating. From what she told me, after meeting Zwei Ruby saw how much Weiss wanted a dog of her own." She paused for a second, her tone taking on a sad note. Her eyes grew dark and her expression became pained as she continued, "Unfortunately Weiss's home life was rather…..difficult, and pets were one of the many things she was not allowed. So Summer offered to keep it here and Weiss could visit whenever she wanted. Once Weiss moved in, well let's just say she dotes on that dog like it's her own child." Emilia said the whole sentence without pause, forcing her to take in several large gulps of air as soon as she stopped speaking. It seems that Neo wasn't the only one uncomfortable with the current state of affairs.

Her breath restored, Emilia leaned back, pausing for a moment and lacing her fingers together, before saying "As for why Cinder sent you, I have no idea. But I know you work for her. I remember seeing you at that seedy basement gambling hall. Among a bunch of huge, angry gangsters a short girl with soulless eyes tends to stand out. Even without the pink hair"

Neo leaned forward, laying her arms on the table and burying her head in them for a few moments, groaning as she did so. She took a deep breath, raised her head up and said "I don't work for her, not anymore. That's in the past. As hard as it is to believe, this is all a huge coincidence."

Emilia let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, the tension melting out of her body as she processed Neo's words. When Cinder Fall was involved, things could only go from bad to worse. "Good, that's good. So you really are their roommate? And why the pink hair"

Neo nodded, and said "I feel asleep on the couch after staying awake for a week straight, and Yang was unsupervised. I had eaten some dessert she had been saving, so she considered it payback. Blake stopped her when she was halfway through. I liked it enough that I decided to keep it." She paused for a moment, enjoying the look of incredulity on Emilia's face, then asked "And I'm guessing your Summer's wife?"

"Long-term girlfriend would be a better term." Emilia answered, her tone growing slightly warmer as she continued "After my last marriage, I'm in no hurry to commit again. And Summer has never been the marrying type." Her face hadn't shifted from its emotionless mask, but Neo could read Emilia like a book regardless. Growing up among criminals gave you the skills necessary to survive, and reading between the lines was on the top of that list. Neo could hear Emelia's love for Summer in the way she spoke her name, as if speaking about her own personal savior. She could see it in her eyes, like the mere thought of her lover brought light to a thousand burning fires of passion in her mind, bringing warmth and life into her otherwise cold exterior.

 _Her eyes remind me of Ruby's_ Neo thought. They resembled the light Neo had seen in Ruby's eyes when she looked at Weiss, but with a stark difference. Ruby wore her emotions on her sleeve, and exposed her love to the world without a worry or care about how it could be used against her. Yang was similar to her in that regard, and she figured that Summer was the same, being Ruby's mother. But for her, Blake, Weiss and Emilia emotions, especially love, were seen as weaknesses that could be used against you. So they kept their emotions close, under lock and key, not to protect themselves but those they cared about. Because when people want to hurt you, the best way to do that is to hurt the people that make your life worth living.

Silence once again descended upon the two women, but this silence was far more comfortable. It brought a sense of tranquility and gave them both time to digest the last few minutes in quiet contemplation. Eventually Emilia asked "So do you know about Summer's injury?

Neo shook her head, saying "No one mentioned any injury, all I know is that Weiss had to bring her to the doctors."

Emilia nodded, to herself as much as to Neo, and muttered to herself "I'm guessing they thought it wasn't their place." She stood up and grabbed a bottle of wine from the fridge, her face asking Neo if she wanted to join her. Neo shook her head slightly, politely declining. She needed her wits about her.

Emilia grabbed a wine glass and sat back down, pouring herself a generous measure of Riesling. She took a sip and said "I don't have time to tell you the whole story, so you'll have to settle for the short version."

Emilia paused, and everything about her shifted in that moment. Neo thought she had been on guard before, but that was nothing compared to the stone person that now sat before her. If it wasn't for the movement of her mouth and the slight rise and fall of her chest, Emilia could have passed as the world's most realistic statue. Everything about her was tensed up, making her look like she was one tap away from shattering into a million pieces. _This is not going to be a happy story_ Neo thought.

Emilia began to speak, her tone clinical and calm. It was as if she was talking about the ancient history of some other long dead person and not about her own life. If not for the slight wavering in her tone, Neo would have thought she was talking about someone else.

"About four years ago my then husband was arrested for a….variety of reasons. He was a terrible person, and a worse husband, so I wasn't sad to see him go. Summer was the one that actually arrested him, which was actually how we first met. She was particularly happy about the one to cuff him, she couldn't stop smiling as she shoved him into the police car. I figured he was going to just bail his way out of jail, and nothing would be solved. But thankfully he died in the interrogation room. The official reason is he had a massive heart attack brought on by a congenital heart defect and the stress of the situation." Emilia paused at this, a small but cruel smile gracing her lips. "Personally I believe it was due to the knife shoved into his chest, but who knows? He had plenty of enemies, so there was no shortage of people that wanted him dead. I have my suspicions, but in the end I'd rather never know."

"Anyway, after he died things were good for a while. I hadn't had much freedom in my marriage. I was told what to eat, what to do, what to wear for so long I had almost forgotten who I was and what I liked. I actually went a little crazy with all the freedom. I ordered nothing but takeout for a week, binged on beer and Chinese food. Spent thousands of dollars on clothes I hadn't worn in years. I bought 30 pairs of sweatpants, 30 pairs. For a while, things were good. For me at least." At this statement Emilia shook her head to herself, as if scolding her past existence for such foolish behavior.

"But about two months later, a month before Ruby's freshman year was over, Summer was involved in an accident. She was driving home from the late shift and was hit from behind by a drunk driver. The impact knocked her into an intersection, where her car collided with two others. The result was she was pinned inside her car, her left leg crushed by the collision with a truck. She was badly injured, and bleeding out fast by the time paramedics arrived. They had to make a choice, and saved her life in the end, but they decided to remove her left leg at the scene. Everything below the knee. She barely made it to the hospital alive.

From what Weiss told me the surgery took close to six hours, and Summer almost died twice. But in the end she pulled through. She woke up in the hospital two days later, and was there for another two weeks, recovering from her ordeal. Ruby didn't leave her bedside for almost a week, Weiss actually had to drag her out of the room to get her to go home and take a shower."

Emilia paused to take another sip of wine, her throat growing dry from all the talking. Her spell was temporarily broken, and Neo realized that she had been unconsciously leaning forward, completely captivated by the story that Emilia was weaving. She took a deep breath and righted herself, once again sitting up straight.

Her thirst parched, Emilia continued her tale. "The recovery process was….difficult. For everyone." Emilia paused, and Neo braced herself for what was to come. Based on the way her voice grew tight with pain and her eyes brimmed with fresh tears, this portion of her past was painful even by her standards. "Summer had a hard time adjusting to…everything. But I think Ruby and Weiss had the hardest time. They could do nothing but watch as she…" Emilia paused, and her gaze shot towards the doorway. "Ruby, how long have you been standing there?"

Neo's head whipped around as she looked at Ruby standing in the entrance to the kitchen, a sad expression on her face. Neo suddenly felt guilty, like she was caught intruding on things that were none of her business. _Why didn't I just ask Yang, she could have told me everything!_ Neo thought, then started to panic as she realized the full implications of what just occurred. _If Ruby has been there the whole time, she knows EVERYTHING. I may be in some deep shit here_.

"I just got out of the shower," Ruby said, and based on her still soaked hair and slightly damp clothes, Neo had no reason to not believe her. Upon closer inspection, she realized Ruby was different than the last time she saw her. Her cheerful demeanor was gone, replaced by a sadness that did not suit her. Ruby was meant to be bright, energetic, a cheerful presence that lightened the atmosphere wherever she went. But the subdued, saddened girl that stood behind her was almost a stranger, so different was she from how Neo perceived Ruby to normally be.

Ruby walked over to Emilia and hugged her from behind, bringing a small smile to Emilia's lips. They both brightened a little at the contact, drawing strength and support from each other. Ruby stood, standing behind Emilia and placing a hand on her shoulder as she asked Emilia "Do you want me to take it from here?"

Emilia grabbed Ruby's hand in her own and smiled up at her as she said "Thank you, please."

Ruby nodded, then turned her attention to Neo. Her voice was serious, grave and carrying the weight of past suffering as she spoke. "At first things were…stable. Mom was still recovering from the accident, and it was close to summer vacation so Weiss or I were almost always around to keep her company, help her with whatever she needed. Mom was always independent, and suddenly needing help with everything was hard on her. So for a while we didn't worry when she spent all day in bed or on the couch, sleeping. But when nothing improved with time, well Weiss and I started to panic. We were around since it was summer vacation, but we couldn't be around all the time once school started up again."

Ruby paused to smile down at Emilia, squeezing her shoulder tightly before continuing "Around that time Emilia was busy being unemployed, so we asked her to stay with Mom during the day, keep her company, help her with whatever." Ruby paused, her face wondering if Neo was confused about anything she had heard so far.

Neo, merely wanting the story to continue, asked "What happened next?"

Ruby's voice took on a happier tone as she said "Things got better, much better. About a month after school started up again she went into physical therapy to get a prosthesis, all at Emilia's prompting. We hadn't even considered it before since the nearest clinic was an hour away, and none of us could legally drive. Or had a car, since Mom's was totaled in the accident. But Emilia offered to drive her. And she did, brought her to every appointment for almost a year."

As Ruby spoke she looked at Emilia, and what her eyes and face told Neo frightened her to her core. Ruby looked at Emilia like she owed her a debt so massive, so great, she would never be able to pay it back. _If Emilia asked, Ruby would do it, no matter what it was. There's something they're not telling me, something important. Weiss could have paid someone to drive Summer to the doctors, so it's not just that. What did Emilia do that Ruby owes her so much?_ Neo wondered. But she knew that prying would get her nowhere, and it wasn't her business anyway. People were entitled to their secrets, she knew that better than anyone.

The entire time Neo had been thinking, Ruby and Emilia had been silent. Realizing that the story, or at least what they were willing to talk about with a near total stranger, was over Neo asked "What kind of prosthesis did she get?"

Emilia answered her query "I'm not sure on the exact make and model. But most of the time no one even notices that Summer has it. From what the doctor told me, her losing the leg below the knee was actually really lucky. Apparently that makes the adjustment period and overall functionality more manageable. If the knee has to be replaced… well the prosthesis can still function, but it's much harder."

Neo nodded, taking a moment to think, before realizing the obvious and asking "Where is Summer?"

Ruby smile grew larger as she said "Work. She can't be a detective anymore, but still wanted to work in law enforcement. Her bosses didn't want her skill to go to waste, so now she trains new recruits."

Emilia loudly muttered "I'm amazed they have any recruits left after that woman gets to them."

Ruby shook her head at Emilia's words, her tone becoming playful and angry all at once as she said "Hey, that's my mother you're talking about. And I can't remember her ever getting angry at me or Weiss."

Emilia laughed, a self-deprecating smirk growing on her face, and responded "That's because you're her daughter, her little angel, and you can do no wrong. And Weiss is basically her daughter in law, so she holds the same enviable position as you." Emilia's voice grew quieter as she said "And you never forgot your 9 month anniversary." She probably didn't intend for Neo to hear that last bit, but her hearing had always been above the norm.

"Was that why you slept on the couch for a week?" Ruby asked, having never been told the answer to that particular incident.

"Yes, and if you ever tell Summer that I told you, I will kill you" Emilia teased, though part of her was serious. Summer had made her promise, on pain of abstinence, that the details of that particular night were to remain buried, forever. "Don't forget, I know where she keeps her gun."

Ruby, unfazed by Emilia's threat, smiled as she said "And I know where she keeps the bullets."

The whole time the two had been talking, Neo had been staring at them enviously. _So this is what a normal family is like. Where they threaten and forgive in the same breath, love for each other oozing out of every word and motion. Though by those standards, Blake and Yang are my family now._ The thought brought a smile to her lips.

Ruby and Emilia's conversation shifted to dinner, and a debate raged for several minutes on whether or not Emilia should bake cookies or brownies for dessert. Neo sat quietly, laughing internally when Ruby loudly declared "Why not both?" and her subsequent refusal to listen when Emilia had explained why that was impossible. Eventually they forced Neo to choose, who had mindlessly responded with "Cookies," bringing a grin to Ruby's face.

Without warning Ruby stood up, walked over to Neo and dragged her out of the kitchen, asking "You ever played Call of Duty before?" as she pulled her into one of the adjacent rooms, Emilia following after the shock wore off.

Neo, who had never played anything more than solitaire, shook her head in response. Ruby's smile grew wider as she said "Let's fix that."

Moments later Neo found herself seated before a massive 60 inch flat screen television and a large pile of electronics, controllers and game cases. While Ruby busied herself inserting various plugs and searching through her massive stack games, Neo looked around, taking in her new surroundings. The room Ruby dragged Neo into could best be described as what would happen if a tornado formed inside a Best Buy. Various types and sizes of cords, wires and controllers littered the ground, some in perfect condition and others in pieces. One wall was bare except for a massive floor to ceiling bookcase, each shelf packed with cases of all shapes and sizes. The other walls were littered with various game posters, showcasing everything from the previously mentioned Call of Duty to some robot thing in a diving suit with what looked like a drill for an arm. But what dominated the room was a massive television, surrounded by a leather couch and several armchairs. In contrast to the rest of the room, the seats were clean and tidy, worn with constant use.

Emilia saw the look of confusion on Neo's face and explained "This house was built to house 10 or more, so even now some of the rooms go unused. When it was just Summer and Ruby they didn't care about any mess Ruby made, but Weiss moved in and quickly put her foot down. They tried and failed to help Ruby organize everything, so they decided to contain the chaos instead. This room is for her own personal use."

Ruby, who had remained silent till now, called out "Aw c'mon, it's not that bad."

"Ruby, I can barely see the floor." Neo said, her mind in shock that one person could cause this much of a mess. Even the warehouses she had lived in for most of her life were cleaner then this room.

"Maybe Weiss should cut off your allowance until you actually clean this room." Emilia suggested, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Ruby merely laughed and said "She tried that threat before. Couldn't even last a whole day without relenting."

Neo, who had a good idea of how Ruby had broken Weiss, said "You used that pout, didn't you. That one you used in our apartment last week." Ruby called out "Yep" in response and went back to work. After several moments she had apparently finished whatever she was doing. She walked back towards the couch, two black controllers in her hands. She sat beside Neo and handed her one, before turning on the TV and booting up her chosen console. As she navigated through the menus, she explained the various controls to Neo, who was already out of her depth. When Neo asked her to repeat everything she had just said, Ruby just shrugged and said "its fine, you'll figure it out. Now, if you had to pick a gun, what kind would it be? Machine gun, semi-auto, pistol?"

Neo, who had no talent or preference for guns, asked "What about knives?"

Ruby paused for a second, her eyebrows scrunched up in thought. Seeming to arrive at a decision she turned her attention to the screen, her fingers a blur as she flew through screen after screen. Before Neo could ask what she was doing Ruby turned to her and said "Ok, when the game starts pick the bottom option, the one labeled knife. That option has a submachine gun, a revolver with a knife attachment for faster stabbing, a tomahawk and some flashbangs. It's mostly close quarters, so you'll be at a bit of a disadvantage. That ok?"

Neo grinned and said "Sounds perfect." _This class is like my life. At a disadvantage from the start._

Ruby's response was to mutter "Blake and Yang certainly picked a strange one," before turning her attention to the screen in front of her. By this point the match was loading, and Neo asked "what about you, what do you use?"

Ruby grinned and said "Sniper Rifle" right before the match began, Ruby on the top half of the screen and Neo on the bottom. They spawned in what looked like some town filled with plastic mannequins, along with the other four members of their team. When Neo asked her what to do Ruby's only advice was "try not to die" before she focused on the screen and tuned Neo out completely. Her character took off, running for the house, while Neo's just stood there looking around aimlessly. After several seconds she figured out how to run and took off, running straight for the rest of her team. She went through the house and emerged outside, only to find herself in the middle of a massive firefight. Explosions and the sound of gunfire rang out from the TV, and within seconds Neo's character had been hit, though not killed. She ran back inside, screaming to Ruby "what do I do?"

Without looking away from the screen Ruby said "Use the right bumper to aim, and release to throw a knife. Aim with the left trigger, and fire with the right trigger." After several seconds the sound of a shot ran out, and Ruby cried out "Got the care package."

Neo, hoping Ruby's advice would work, charged back outside, and spotted another enemy. She pushed the right bumper, and paused to line up her aim. Which was apparently death in this game, since before she could throw the knife her would-be victim spotted her and shot her. Her character died, and reappeared in the same place as last time, only to be shot and killed seconds after coming back to life.

The rest of the match, as well as the next several, went much the same way. Neo was used to taking her time, lining up her throw or stab perfectly to ensure instant death for her victim. She was a calm and cold perfectionist, a killer in the night. But that was in the real world, and this was a video game where the laws of logic and reason did not apply. She eventually discovered that a throwing knife would kill as long as it made contact with any part of the enemy, and from then on she improved quickly.

By the time they were on their sixth game Yang had finally finished showering. She came down stairs, grabbed a water from the fridge and wandered around, trying to find where everyone had went. She eventually checked the game room, and was horrified by what she saw. Neo, someone who had never struck her as a lover of video games, was playing some online game with Ruby, who was probably the biggest video game nerd in human existence. And if the final match scores were anything to go by, Neo was beating her.

Emilia, who was sitting on one of the chairs by the wall, looked up from her phone and said "Weiss just texted me, her and Blake left the vet. They should be here soon."

"Good, came out just in time" Yang said, then asked "What's the plan for dinner?"

Emilia got as far as saying "chicken parm" before she was interrupted by Ruby loudly saying "Neo, you got two guys right behind you. I got the left." A second later a shot rang out, and Neo's character turned around, only to be killed seconds later. Neo, without looking away from the screen, shouted "I thought you said you had left?"

Ruby shouted back "I did, MY left. My left was your right." Neo wordlessly nodded in response, and both girls fell silent again, the only sounds in the room the death tolls of the enemy team.

Yang stared for almost a minute, before turning to Emilia and asking "How did this happen?"

Emilia gave Yang a sympathetic smile and said "Apparently Neo is as good as Ruby when it comes to video games, or at least this one. From what I can tell, the two of them are getting more kills then the rest of the team combined."

Yang sat down next to Emilia and buried her head in her hands, groaning as she muttered "Rubes created a monster." Emilia rubbed her back soothingly, before asking her how her job at the gym had been going. Yang launched into the story of what had happened earlier that day while Emilia listened attentively, interjecting when Yang got to her confrontation with Cardin to offer her approval. From there they moved on to discussing Yang's upcoming classes and how Emilia's job was going, their conversation occasionally interrupted by shouts from Ruby or Neo as they continued to compete in their game.

20 minutes later the sound of a door opening and Weiss's shout of "We're back" made everyone pause what they were doing and gravitate towards the front door. Neo was the first out, hoping to give Blake a hug after what had probably been another tiring day for her. Her plans were ruined, however, by a dark gray blur that detached itself from Weiss's leg and began running straight towards her. She tried to move, to run or get away. But her brain and body were paralyzed, unable to react, or do anything but stand there and accept her fate. She heard someone shout "Artemis, No" but it sounded muffled, as if being shouted from a great distance.

As the blur came closer it launched itself into the air, aiming straight for Neo's chest. Time seemed to slow down, and Neo could finally focus enough to determine that the blur was not a blur at all, but a small, adorable dark grey dog. An adorable dog that was currently flying through the air straight towards her, but adorable non-the-less. Her last thought before she felt the dog slam into her, sending her crashing to the floor was _so this is how I die, huh?_ _Not from the barrel of a gun or the blade of a knife, but with a small dog jumping on me at mach 3._

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In case you missed or forgot the endorsements, here they are again.

Bodyshock by YinYangBangBang (mainly freezerburn, BiGender Yang, 80000 words!) Fanfiction

Stay Afloat by Blood Shinobi (PyrrhaxNora (Valkos), 50000 words) Fanfiction

Red Flowers Bloom by sombreromoustache (Pollination aka RubyxBlakexWeissxYang, 20000 words) Fanfiction

Anything by Xekstrin, A03

Saint's Rose by Latham02 (no ships as of yet, but it's WAY too funny to pass up.) Fanfiction

I just recommend giving them a shot. You like em, maybe give em a favorite or drop a review.

 _Feedback is definitely appreciated, and I will try to respond as fast as possible. Bring me your grammatical errors, your plot holes, your crazed guesses and general thoughts. Any and all questions are welcome, no matter what they are. Otherwise, see you all next time. Have a wonderful day/dusk/twilight/night/eclipse/whatever your weather is currently!_


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